The Colorado Prescription Coalition this session is building on gains it made last year to promote safe, cost-effective prescribing.  The coalition is supporting the Pharmaceutical Transparency Act (SB 10-126), legislation introduced this session by Senator Morgan Carroll. The legislation contains provisions parallel to transparency requirements contained in federal health care reform bills.  SB 10-126 would require pharmaceutical and medical device companies to submit to the Secretary of State information on payments and transfers of value to health care practitioners.  Disclosed information would be posted on a searchable public website.  The Pharmaceutical Transparency Act could also require that each company report whether or not they are complying with their own stated code of ethics. 

The bill was voted favorably out of the Committees on Senate Health and Human Services and Finance, and is now under consideration in Senate Appropriations. The progress of the Pharmaceutical Transparency Act can be tracked here.

Groups actively supporting coalition efforts this session include Colorado AARP, the Colorado Medical Society, National Physician’s Alliance, Colorado Association of Family Physicians, Colorado Chapter of  the American Academy of Pediatrics, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Citizens for Patient Safety, Colorado Progressive Coalition, the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Colorado Public Interest Research Group, Colorado Senior Lobby, Health Care for All Colorado, Rocky Mountain Health Care Coalition and Kaiser Permanente.