Two state legislators have called for the creation of an academic detailing program in Wisconsin that would give doctors unbiased information about cost-effective prescription drugs.
The program would help counter one-sided presentations offered by drug company representatives in their visits to doctors, information that is designed to sell a company’s higher-cost, brand-name drug rather than a cheaper generic that might be just as effective, said Rep. Chuck Benedict (D-Beloit), a retired physician and chairman of the Assembly Committee on Public Health.
The legislators cited recent Journal Sentinel stories about drug company funding of doctor education courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in realizing there was a need for academic detailing here.