CALPIRG and Senator Scott introduce the Pharmaceutical Drug Right-to-Know Act
SACRAMENTO—Responding
to public outcry over recent prescription drug scandals, CALPIRG and
Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena) have introduced legislation in
Sacramento to make sure that drug companies finally come clean about
the safety of the medicines. The bill, SB 1683, requires drug companies
to publicly disclose the results of all their clinical trials for each
drug they sell in California.
“No
one would expect consumers to buy a car without knowing the gas mileage
or how it would hold up in an accident,” said Emily Clayton, CALPIRG’s
Health Care Advocate. “Yet, when it comes to lifesaving medicines,
current law allows the pharmaceutical industry to keep much of this
safety and effectiveness information from us. That’s wrong and it’s
time for California to fix the problem.”
While
many states have considered legislation regarding clinical trials, SB
1683 is broader and stronger than existing bills. Because it applies to
all FDA-approved medicines sold in California, SB 1683 would give
everyone with an internet connection unprecedented access to the
results for virtually every pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical
trial conducted over the past several decades.
“For
many years, I have been concerned that consumers simply do not have
enough access to information regarding pharmaceutical drugs and their
testing history. Recently, we have seen the effects of a lack of
information. The goal of this legislation is to keep Californians
healthy and safe,” said Scott. “This is also the least costly and most
direct way to provide information to our citizens.”
In
addition to addressing safety concerns, the legislation also tackles
the problem of overpriced and underperforming medicines. Because
researchers, doctors and the general public will have access to all of
the health and effectiveness studies conducted by manufacturers, they
will finally be able to clearly compare medicines in the light of day.
Once
accurate comparisons can be made on issues of safety and effectiveness,
drug companies may have a much harder time convincing doctors and
patients that expensive brand-name drugs are worth two or three or ten
times the price of equally safe and effective generic drugs.
“The
drug companies like to talk the talk about competition in a free
marketplace,” said Clayton. “But a free market demands a free flow of
information. Let doctors and patients be the judge of which drugs are
worth the price based on complete information—not just the information
the drug companies want us to know.”
SB 1683 will be considered by the state Senate this spring.
