COLLEGE SAYS SELLING PRESCRIPTION INFO IS OKAY
By Adnews Staff
The Ontario College of Pharmacists has decided to leave it up to individual members to decide whether they will sell information that identifies physicians and their prescribing patterns. This data, with the names of patients removed, is used by drug companies to tailor their sales pitches to individual doctors. The practice was banned in B.C. last month after doctors complained that it is an invasion of privacy. While allowing that the sale of data is not unethical, the college said last week that it will lay out guidelines to make sure the dissemination of such information benefits the public and is not done solely to increase drug sales. The Ontario Medical Association disagrees with the college. It believes the practice could breach the trust between doctor and patient. It also says drug companies could pressure doctors to use certain traeatments in place of more effective ones.