August 30, 2007
Medical data law contest
Three companies that collect, analyze and sell medical data are suing Maine and Vermont over new laws that keep doctors' written prescriptions private.
IMS Health of Norwalk, Conn., Wolters Kluwer Health of Conshohocken, Pa., and Verispan of Yardley, Pa., filed suit against the states in federal court Wednesday, saying the laws are unconstitutional, the Associated Press reported today. An amendment to Maine's Prescription Privacy Law was passed in June and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
The companies say access to the prescription data allows them to monitor the safety of medications and make sure doctors are prescribing drugs correctly. Officials in Maine, however, argue that the law keeps drug companies from knowing too much about a doctor's prescription preferences and tailoring their marketing as a result.
IMS Health of Norwalk, Conn., Wolters Kluwer Health of Conshohocken, Pa., and Verispan of Yardley, Pa., filed suit against the states in federal court Wednesday, saying the laws are unconstitutional, the Associated Press reported today. An amendment to Maine's Prescription Privacy Law was passed in June and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
The companies say access to the prescription data allows them to monitor the safety of medications and make sure doctors are prescribing drugs correctly. Officials in Maine, however, argue that the law keeps drug companies from knowing too much about a doctor's prescription preferences and tailoring their marketing as a result.
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