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Catania Chairs Summer Meeting of National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices |
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COUNCILMEMBER MEETS WITH HARVARD PROFESSOR TO DISCUSS ACADEMIC DETAILING WHILE IN BOSTON
Washington, D.C. – Today, Councilmember David Catania (At-Large) returned from Boston, MA where he chaired the summer meeting of the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices (NLARx). Legislators from around the country attended the meeting and were briefed on state efforts to encourage greater access to pharmaceuticals, including the District’s AccessRx law. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia recently upheld a key provision of AccessRx allowing the District to fully implement the 2004 law.
The members of NLARx continue to push the envelope on the issue of prescription drug access," said Catania. "Together we are building a playbook for successful laws, such as AccessRx, that can be used by legislators everywhere." While in Boston, Catania also met with Dr. Jerry Avorn, Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Avorn is a national expert in the area of academic detailing of prescription drugs. Academic detailing is a growing effort to combat the often-misleading tactics of pharmaceutical marketers. Catania recently told WAMU Radio (88.5 FM) that he is interested in establishing professional standards and licensing requirements for pharmaceutical detailers in the District. "We allow pharmaceutical salesman, who directly influence our doctors’ decisions, to operate without any code of conduct or penalties for malfeasance," explained Catania. NLARX is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded and directed by state legislators. Its mission is to assist legislators who seek to work jointly across state lines to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible to people in the United States, especially by reducing prescription drug prices. Catania was elected to the position of Chairman of NLARx in March 2007. For more information, visit http://www.nlarx.com ### August 7, 2007 Press Release |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 24 August 2007 )
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