Scott Smith Shares his Researched Views on Proposed Doctor/Manufacturer Disclosure Rules
In 1993, concerns regarding conflicts of interest between pharmaceutical manufacturers and physicians led Minnesota to enact the nation’s first law banning most gifts from drug companies to area doctors and requiring annual, public disclosure of all forms of payment. Bills currently pending in the Legislature would expand these requirements to medical device manufacturers. But are there economic “side effects” to the transparency these laws and proposals seek to foster?
Shareholder Scott A. Smith, who represents pharmaceutical and medical device companies in product liability actions, is the author of several published works pertaining to health care gift ban and financial disclosure laws, among them “Beyond Detail: A Current Survey of Physician/Manufacturer Gift Bans and Financial Disclosure Requirements.” According to Smith’s research, anecdotal evidence suggests that, as a consequence of Minnesota’s existing disclosure laws, Minnesota physicians and researchers have become increasingly reluctant to participate in clinical trials or other product research.
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