US think-tanks attack "free speech" restriction

Two US think-tanks have launched an attack on proposals by a coalition of anti-drugmaker groups in the US state of Massachusetts, describing them as seeking "to violate constitutionally-protected freedom of speech." John Graham, director of health care studies at the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco, California, was responding to an attempt by the Massachusetts Prescription Reform Coalition to cut medicine prices by banning some marketing practices.

Among the claims circulated by campaigners are that the drug industry "spent $29.0 billion on promoting and marketing prescription drugs in 2005," with direct-to-physician marketing equivalent to $8,000 per year.

Dr Graham noted that there is no requirement for physicians to meet with drug firm representatives, so the medical profession has the ability to turn away marketing approaches from pharmaceutical companies.