Massachusetts Officially Bans Industry Gifts to Physicians

Have you noticed that there will be fewer and fewer major medical meetings in Boston? Boston used to be one of the major hubs for national association and society meetings and symposium events. This includes CME (continuing medical education) events. Now, major medical groups are shifting gears and looking for other cities. Why? Well, part of it may be related to this new ban in the state of Massachusetts. According to the Boston Globe, drug companies will have to disclose payments to doctors and hospitals for research designed to promote a particular product, sometimes called "seeding trials"; funding for research aimed at answering a scientific question will still not have to be disclosed. In the MS Word document titled, "Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Conduct Regulations," you can see the changes in Track Changes (if you have MS Word).