Drug firm gift ban to test Patrick - [No more bribing Doctors]

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology groups have launched a lobbying blitz to try to persuade Patrick to kill contentious legislation aimed at clamping down on drug companies that provide gifts and meals to physicians.
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Proponents say the reporting requirements would limit marketing influences in medicine, which could reduce costs and encourage doctors to diagnose based on the best treatment, rather than the most generous pharmaceutical companies.

At one point, the legislation also contained another provision opposed by the industry and supported by consumer groups, which would have banned a practice called data mining. This practice allows pharmaceutical and biotech companies to hone their sales pitches by purchasing data about the prescribing patterns of individual doctors.

This provision was dropped from the bill.