Boston, MA-Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) won a major victory yesterday following the passage of his amendment that would ban all gifts from pharmaceutical and medical device companies to health care practitioners.  His gift ban amendment, adopted as part of the Senate President's health care reform bill, has passed in the Senate twice previously. The ban adds public disclosure and licensing requirements to all transactions between health care providers and pharmaceutical and medical device representatives.

"This is about protecting the sacred doctor patient relationship.  We are especially focused on controlling costs, and this is one way we can help ensure that drug prescriptions are always based on non-biased evidence rather than industry biased marketing," said Senator Montigny.

Approximately 90 percent of the medical device and pharmaceutical industries' annual marketing budget is directed to promotions for health care providers. Widespread abuses have recently surfaced highlighting the troubling relationship between pharmaceutical companies and doctors.

Montigny said, "The health care industry is regulated because its purpose is to better and save peoples' lives. It is not an industry where exploiting the market to maximize profits should be the first priority."

Text of Sen. Montigny's Gift Ban Amendment (39 KB MSWORD)