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NLARx News
January 30, 2008
In This Issue
NLARx Meeting Report
In the States
Outrage of the Week
Goings on in Congress
Advertising and Marketing
Conflicts of Interest
Drug Prices
Pharma Watch
Medicare
Safety & Clinical Trials
Generics, Patent Policy & Compulsory Licensing
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NLARx Meeting News
WINTER 2008 NLARx MEETING: On January 25, state legislators  met to share strategies and discuss efforts to regulate pharmaceutical marketers and control drug costs. For more information, including the presentations from the meeting, Click Here.
LEGAL STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE ACCESS TO MEDICINES: Monday, Feb. 4 at American University's Washington College of Law. For a list of speakers and to rsvp, Click Here.
In the States
Check out our MODEL BILL banning most drug company gifts and payments to prescribers More

From the news and notes from our legislators' roundtable on January 25th Meeting Report:

MASSACHUSETTS: New Coalition Seeks Reform of Prescription Drug Practices More
New Coalition Links Drug Costs, Marketing More
CALIFORNIA: Costs Hinder Health Care Overhaul More
Drug companies want to postpone ePedigree More
WEST VIRGINIA: Bills pending on datamining, PBM transparency, gift disclosure; central fill pharmacy makes progress; looking at issues of oversight of foreign drug ingredients More; Brouhaha over Big Pharma influence on University More
NEW YORK: Hearing Friday Feb. 1 on marketing bills;
legislation addresses gifts, data mining, and clinical trials More; Governor Proposes Prescription Drug Initiatives in Budget More
PENNSYLVANIA: Medicaid Will No Longer Pay for Hospital Errors More
MINNESOTA: Health System Removes Pharma Gifts in New Policy More
CONNECTICUT: AG Probes Merck, Schering Marketing of Vytorin and Zetia More
WASHINGTON: Committee supports datamining bill; Lawmakers Pushed to Stop 'Data-Mining' More
VERMONT: House Health Committee fine-tunes datamining law; considers expansion of 340B and patent reforms
FLORIDA: Florida Medicaid To Review Antipsychotics & ADHD | More
Outrage of the Week 
Amgen Sales Rep Allege Pressure to Promote Enbrel Off-Label and Pull Patient Files from Docs' Offices More
Goings on in Congress
Democrats Pen Letter to FDA Expressing "Profound Regret" Over FDA's Proposed Labeling Rule More
Sen. Grassley Widens Investigation into Vytorin Trials & Funding of the American Heart Assoc. and the American College of Cardiology More
Rep. Waxman Probes Industry Meeting With FDA and New Rules on Marketing in Medical Journals More
Advertising and Marketing
NLARX and Prescription Project Unveil Gift Ban & Disclosure Model Bill
NLARX Director Treat Testifies Before Vermont Senate Finance Committee More
Savings, Safety, and Solutions: Pharma's Undue Influence on Prescribing Decisions - Presentations at Families USA Health Action 2008 More
Drug Industry Reconsiders Sales Tactics More
Critics Troubled by Ads Pitching Medical Devices More
Conflicts of Interest
HHS report says NIH Doesn't Keep Accurate Records of Conflicts of Interest for Agency Grantees More
Model Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form and Agreement for Health Care, PBM Consultants More
Consumers Union's Model PBM Bill More
Doughnuts and Prozac More
Drug Prices
Copayments Reduce Likelihood Women Will Receive Regular Mammograms, Study Finds More
Diabetes Cost US $174 Billion in 2007: Cases Continue to Rise More
Pharma Watch
Overdependence on 'blockbuster' drugs is taking a toll on the industry More
Biotech industry says academic detailing is 'Orwellian scheme' More
The Contraindications of Our Pill-Popping Ways More
PBM Watch
Wal-Mart CEO Announces Pilot Program To Provide Prescription Drug Services for Some Employers More
Medicare
CBO says Allowing Pharmacy Negotiation With Part D Plans Would Cost $681M Over 5 Years More
Delay in Doctor Payment Cuts Likely to Be Centerpiece of Medicare Measure More
Consumers Union Analysis Medicare Drug Plans Raise Prices on Five Medications More
Medicaid
Coalition of 70 Groups Calls for State Medicaid Aid in Economic Stimulus Package More
Republicans Wary of Democrats' Plan to Include Medicaid Boost As Part Of Stimulus More
Sepracor May Owe $100M in Medicaid Rebates More
Community Catalyst and Families USA Announce the Release of a New Web-Based Guide to State Health Reform for Advocates More
Safety & Clinical Trials
GAO Finds FDA Unable to Meet Need for Inspections of Medical Device Manufacturing Facilities More
'Overwhelmed' FDA Can't Protect Lives, Adviser Says More
A Policy Study of Clinical Trial Registries and Results Databases More
Vytorin Makers Try to Explain Timeline More
One Third of Antidepressant Clinical Studies Unpublished More
Keeping Track of Aging Patients' Medications More
Suit Alleges More Health Problems From Merck's Fosamax Drug More
FDA Warns Drugs Can Be Mistaken for Each Other More
Generics, Patent Policy & Compulsory Licensing
Teva Agrees to Buy CoGenesys, Gaining Foothold in Biologics More
WSJ Examines Financial Incentives for Physicians To Switch to Less-Expensive, Generic Medications More
Makers of Generic Drugs Likely to Keep Jumping the Gun on Patents More
UK Parliament Finds Substantial Potential Savings in Prescribing Costs through Generic Uptake More