US government takes steps to expose financial ties between drugmakers and doctors

After more than a year of prodding from the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the USA’s federal government took a major step today aimed at exposing potential conflicts of interests between doctors and drug companies.

The long-awaited rule – drawn from the Physician Payments Sunshine Act - was released late last Friday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The rule puts in place a system requiring pharmaceutical and medical device makers to disclose payments and gifts given to physicians. Consumers will have access to the information through a database administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services.