The Vermont Legislature has passed a law banning many, if not most, industry gifts to prescribers and requiring drug and device manufacturers to publicly disclose any permitted financial relationships with physicians and other health care providers. The law, scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2009, is one of the most stringent state efforts to regulate the marketing of medical products to physicians.

The new legislation expands on the state’s existing Pharmaceutical Marketing Disclosure Law, which requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to annually report to the Vermont Attorney General marketing payments made to persons in Vermont who are authorized to prescribe, dispense, or purchase pharmaceutical products.

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