Houston clinic finds ways to limit drug industry influence

Doctors are becoming wary of the appearance that drug makers' gifts can influence their prescription choices. Meanwhile, the federal government serves notice that it wants to find a way to preserve a regulation that would allow hospitals to get discounts on orphan drugs.

Texas Tribune: Trying To Limit Outside Influence Of Rx Drugs
As sales representatives for pharmaceutical companies brought doughnuts and lunch over the years to physicians at the 20 Kelsey-Seybold medical clinics in the Houston area, Patrick Carter worked to limit their presence. Carter, a family physician and managing director of care coordination for Kelsey-Seybold, said he wanted to remove the appearance that drug representatives influenced the decisions made by doctors when writing prescriptions. Since 2012, pharmaceutical representatives cannot stop by Kelsey-Seybold clinics or meet with its 370 doctors unless the physicians request an appointment for guidance in prescribing certain drugs (Ura, 6/16).

The Hill: HHS Vows To Fight For 'Orphan Drug' Rule
The Obama administration plans to fight for a rule that gives some medical facilities discounts on "orphan drugs" that are used to treat rare diseases. A circuit court in Washington, D.C., last month struck down a federal regulation on the drugs, leaving the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with a choice of either appealing or starting fresh with a new rule (Al-Faruque, 6/13).