Reducing perscription drug marketing

October 25, 2009

S. 48, passed with VPIRG’s support in the spring of 2009, put patients over marketing and profit. It did away with a long-standing “trade secret” exemption that allowed pharmaceutical companies to hide most of their gifts to doctors in Vermont. By removing this exemption, the law allows more transparency of the financial relationships between drug companies and doctors and gives Vermonters the information they need to decide if their prescriber is being influenced.