Do the Sunshine Laws Shed Enough Light on Financial Conflicts of Interest?
ARTICLE IN BRIEF Physicians and legal experts question whether the new sunshine law, which mandates that pharmaceutical companies publicly disclose their financial contributions to physicians and researchers, promotes enough transparency about potential conflicts of interest. A new law requires pharmaceutical and medical device companies to publicly disclose payments made to doctors, whether it’s money for research, continuing medical education (CME), or informational sessions. Some doctors hoped the new law, which was included as part of the sweeping health reform legislation that passed in March, would allow patients to become more informed and the profession as a whole to be more transparent. But they said the bill was far from perfect because it excluded pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. And representatives from the pharmaceutical lobby worried that the information would be overwhelming and confusing. Commonly known as the Physician Payment Sunshine Provision, the secti
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