Ann Woloson Offers Strategies for Promoting Safe Prescribing and
Protecting Kids from Predatory Marketing

Hallowell, Maine, July 23, 2009--When state lawmakers and leaders, legislative staff members, and policy experts from across the country come together to work on the nation's toughest issues at the National Conference of State Legislatures' Legislative Summit, Ann Woloson, Executive Director of Prescription Policy Choices (PPC), will be there to speak on behalf of PPC's research and policy efforts.

Woloson will be making the presentation, "Promoting Safe Prescribing: Protecting Kids While Controlling Costs," on behalf of PPC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization which provides objective research, information, and on-the-ground expertise on prescription drug policy. She will inform lawmakers and others about best practices for state programs managing the clinical and economic challenges of the mounting use of antipsychotics in children, as well as Maine's new predatory marketing law aimed at protecting kids from unscrupulous Internet marketing tactics.

"As states and federal policymakers work to reform our health care system, focusing on questionable prescribing of powerful drugs and unscrupulous marketing tactics, especially those targeted to children, is an obvious place to start," said Woloson. "Atypical antipsychotic drugs approved for use in adults are being prescribed to kids, while reports questioning the effectiveness of such drugs are increasing and incidences of deaths and dangerous side effects have occurred."

Woloson will address the growing concerns regarding these issues and discuss how states are working to develop best practices, including prescriber education programs, to promote safe and effective prescribing, improve quality, and reduce costs.

Woloson's presentation is slated for Friday, July 24 from 2 to 4 pm, as part of the prescription drug policy information session, Data, Drugs and Disclosure: States Lead the Way on Pharmaceutical Policy, hosted by the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices. The information session will focus on drug and medical device manufacturers' use of sophisticated techniques, such as mining data, using social and electronic media, and buying access, to market products to doctors, patients, and even kids. The information session will also show how states are leading the way on disclosing payments, banning gifts, and regulating predatory marketing.

PPC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c) (3) educational and public policy organization which provides objective research, information, and on-the-ground expertise on prescription drug policy. PPC's research and policy focus is evaluating alternative policies and programs that effectively reduce prescription drug prices and increase access to medications.