Philadelphia City: Opioides y...Medical reps.

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Philadelphia City Council tabled action on a controversial bill aimed at addressing the opioid addiction crisis by providing for more oversight of pharmaceutical industry sales representatives.

The bill, introduced in October by City Councilman Bill Greenlee and Councilwoman Cindy Bass with the support of the Kenney administration, would require drug company sales reps to register with the city, at a cost of up to $250, and wear identification badges. 

It also bans giving gifts to health care providers and their office staff, and requires drug companies to submit to the city’s Health Department copies of marketing materials it plans to hand out to health care providers.

Violations of the ordinance would carry a fine of up to $500 a day.

The goal of the measure is to curtail the influence sales rep have over physicians, which many believe has contributed to the overuse of opioid pain killers.

“We need to attack the opioid crisis from all angles,” Greenlee said when the bill was introduced. “While this legislation will not solve the problem, it will be one tool in the arsenal to combat this epidemic.”

Doing so, they argue, could also possibly prevent future addiction problems with other drugs.

"The Pharma Bill is designed to address the next potential drug crisis," Bass stated on Twitter Thursday before the council meeting. "We're already seeing increases in prescriptions of non-opioid drugs like amphetamines. Philadelphia's largest health systems support the bill and it's the right step to take to help address addiction in our city."

The proposal has drawn opposition from the pharmaceutical industry as well as the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, representatives of which testified earlier this month that the new rules would cast the city as unfriendly to the pharmaceutical industry and jeopardize future conventions.(Más)

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Philly city council tables ordinance to restrict sales reps after lobbying campaign