Philadelphia looks to crack down on pharma reps with registration, gift banning

It may soon be tougher to be a pharma sales rep in Philadelphia. Its city council will hold a public hearing Friday on a proposed bill (PDF) to regulate pharma manufacturer reps, with measures including registering with the city and prohibiting any gifts to healthcare providers and office staff. The “Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Practices” gifts and conduct ordinance, initially proposed by two council members in October, is in response to the city’s ongoing opioid epidemic. More than 1,200 people died from drug overdoses in 2017, the city reported.
Philadelphia already filed a lawsuit (PDF) in January against several pharma companies, including Purdue, Endo, Allergan, Teva and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen over what it calls deceptive and misleading marketing practices. But the council and the city’s health commissioner believe additional measures are needed. The measure extends to all pharma reps, because as the proposed bill notes, “there is evidence that pharmaceutical companies have made misleading claims about medications other than opioids, such as Zyprexa, Effexor, and Pamine.”