Prescription Drug Scandals Prompt New Legislation

By Trevor Schubert

Published on March 02, 2006

The bill, SB 1683, will give anyone with ability to connect to the internet unprecedented access to pharmaceutical industry clinical trials.

"When it comes to life saving medicines, current law allows the pharmaceutical industry to keep much of the safety and effectiveness information from us," said Emily Clayton, CALPIRG's Health Care Advocate. "That's wrong and it's time for California to fix the problem."

Several states have considered legislation on clinical trials; however, SB 1683 is much broader than existing law because it covers all prescription drugs sold in California. This will bring virtually every pharmaceutical-sponsored trial conducted over the past several decades to the computers of citizens all over the world.

The new legislation will also address the problem of overpriced and underachieving drugs. Because researchers and the general public will have access to information on every clinical trial, consumers will now be able to clearly compare drugs without having to sift through marketing-fluff.

"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."

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