New Issue Brief Offers Strategies for Effective Prescription Drug Reform

Hallowell, Maine, November 2, 2009—With sweeping health care reform news and landmark pharmaceutical fraud settlements making headlines, the collaboration between the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) and Prescription Policy Choices (PPC) to publish an issue brief on prescription drug policy reform, including prescriber education, could not be more timely. The issue brief, Choices: A New Kind of House Call Delivers Science Not Sales: Prescription drug reform that works, written by PPC policy analyst Jennifer Reck, examines the steps being taken to curb undue industry influence, such as evidence-based prescribing as a means to improve access to safe, effective prescription drugs, while containing costs. Download the issue brief(820KB).

The collaboration between MECEP and PPC grew out of an initiative, funded by the Maine Health Access Foundation, to develop and advocate for policy strategies to help contain Maine’s sky-rocketing health care costs. Through this initiative, MECEP is working to improve transparency in health care coverage so consumers can make better informed choices and PPC is promoting prescribing practices based on science and current research from sources independent of the pharmaceutical industry.

“Prescription drug use and costs have increased exponentially in recent years,” said PPC Executive Director Ann Woloson, “due in part to the aggressive marketing tactics used by drug companies.” Woloson pointed to the Justice Department’s recent landmark settlement with Pfizer as an example of questionable strategies used by a drug maker to market certain drugs for unapproved uses.

As an alternative to the drug industry’s tactics, PPC promotes prescriber education programs which send trained clinicians to physicians’ offices to present the best available, objective scientific evidence in a given therapeutic area. Unlike pharmaceutical sales representatives, who are paid on commission to get prescribers to write prescriptions for their products, prescriber educators are not trying to sell anything. They provide independent, evidence-based information.

In addition, PPC is working to engage consumers in prescribing decisions as a way to help to offset the relentless direct-to-consumer advertising conducted by drug companies. PPC has partnered with Consumer Reports Health Best Buy Drugs™ to provide consumers with balanced, consumer-friendly information about prescription drugs.

MECEP advances public policies that help Maine people prosper in a strong, fair, and sustainable economy. MECEP advances this mission through high-quality research, analysis, citizen education, and coalition building. MECEP is an independent, nonpartisan organization. To learn more about MECEP, visit www.mecep.org.