Grassley Seeks APA Disclosures
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has asked the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to disclose how much financial support it receives from the pharmaceutical industry. The senator requested that the association provide an accounting of industry funding from January 2003 to the present, including, but not limited to, grants, donations, and sponsorship for meetings. The APA should also explain its conflict of interest policies, including whether the organization allows pharmaceutical companies to place restrictions on how funding is used, according to a letter the senator sent to the association last month. Senator Grassley, who is the ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee, has been investigating conflicts of interest, and he cited reporting in the New York Times that led him to believe that nonprofit organizations were being unduly influenced by drug and device makers.
Vt. Psychiatrists Unduly Influenced
The Vermont attorney general is alleging that psychiatrists in the state are being inappropriately influenced by pharmaceutical industry money. In a report issued last month, the AG found that drugmakers spent $3 million in Vermont in fiscal 2007 in sales and marketing efforts directed at physicians–a 33% increase over the previous fiscal year. The money was spent by 84 companies, on fees, travel expenses, and other direct payments, according to the report. More than half the money was provided by five companies: Eli Lilly & Co., Pfizer Inc., UCB Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., and Merck & Co. Psychiatrists were the highest paid, with 11 psychiatrists receiving $626,000, or 20% of the total. Five of the top 10 drugs promoted were for psychiatric conditions, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and depression. The remainder were medications to treat diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Under Vermont law, manufacturers are required to report on an annual basis to the attorney general payments made to physicians, hospitals, universities, and other prescribers.
N.Y. Tobacco Ban Takes Effect
Starting July 24, all addiction treatment facilities that are certified and funded by the New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services must be entirely tobacco-free. The rules are the strictest in the country, but are aimed at integrating tobacco addiction treatment into programs for other dependencies, according to the state. Facilities will have a 6-month grace period to establish programs before funding and certification is revoked. The facilities themselves can determine how to eliminate tobacco on-site and establish intervention programs. But the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services set out some minimum requirements, including that all staff are prohibited from using tobacco products on-site and that visiting families are prohibited from bringing tobacco products or paraphernalia to a facility. The state also has provided an $8 million grant that will go toward nicotine replacement products and education and training to health professionals on strategies and interventions for a tobacco-free environment.
30% Have Received Treatment
About a third of Americans have received treatment or therapy from a psychologist or other mental health professional, according to a Harris Interactive survey of 2,500 adults conducted in April. Men and women equally received treatment, but there was a big difference among age groups. Adults over age 65 years were the least likely to have received treatment, at 17%, compared with 36% of those in their 20s and 30s. The most common reason for seeking treatment was depression and anxiety, reported by 60% of those polled. Trauma and posttraumatic stress, and family and relationship issues were the next most common reasons. The main barriers to getting care were a lack of confidence in outcome of treatment, a lack of knowledge about the process, and concerns about access and the cost of therapy. More than half of those surveyed also said they had concerns about the stigma of receiving treatment or about what others might think if they found out. The survey was conducted for the American Psychological Association and was taken among people who already agree to be part of Harris polling.
Drugs Easy to Get Online
Despite a decline in the number of Web sites advertising or selling prescriptions for controlled substances, 85% of sites selling such drugs in the past year did not require a prescription, according to a new report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, New York. Researchers found 365 sites advertising or selling controlled substances during searches that took place in the first 3 months of 2008, compared with 581 sites found during the same period in 2007. The decline in the number of sites offering controlled substance prescriptions might reflect federal and state efforts to crack down on Internet drug trafficking, said Joseph A. Califano Jr., the center's chairman. Only 2 of the 365 sites found online in 2008 were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, the same number found certified in 2007. Of those sites not requiring prescriptions, 42% explicitly stated that no prescription was needed, 45% offered “online consultations,” which enable Internet users to get controlled substances online without a proper prescription, and 13% made no mention of a prescription.