Senate mulls bill to keep pharma documents unsealed

[Guest guest]

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/senate-mulls-bill-keep-pharma-documents-unsealed/2011-05-20

Senate mulls bill to keep pharma documents

unsealed

May 20, 2011 — 10:47am ET | By Staton

Merck

pays 2,000-plus docs $20.4M for speaking

Drugmakers

paid millions to Mass. health providers

Doc-payment

info hits J & J unit websites

Government

shutdown threatens FDA work

GSK,

Pfizer pay U.S. doctors $262M

The U.S. Senate is looking at spreading the sunshine. Now

that lawmakers have pushed through a mandate for drugmakers to

disclose payments to doctors, they're considering the

"Sunshine in Litigation Act," which would make it more

difficult for judges to seal court documents in

pharmaceuticals lawsuits.

As Pharmalot reports, drugmakers often persuade

judges to seal trial data and internal documents filed during

legal disputes. The argument often is that this information

amounts to "trade secrets" that would harm a company's

business if revealed. Critics say this practice keeps some

crucial safety information hidden from view. So, the Senate

bill would require judges to consider public health before

agreeing to place documents under seal.

"These court-sanctioned secrecy agreements prevent government

officials or consumer groups from learning about defective and

dangerous products that can stay on the market unchallenged,"

Sen. Herb Kohl said in a statement.

Kohl specifically cited two cases in which "crucial"

documents remained under seal, Pharmalot says. In

one, a lawsuit over AstraZeneca's Seroquel, the court unsealed

some documents, but kept submissions to foreign regulators and

correspondence between sales reps and doctors under wraps. In

litigation over Eli Lilly's Zyprexa, key information on side

effects such as weight gain and diabetes remained under seal

until it was leaked to the media.

[Guest guest]

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/senate-mulls-bill-keep-pharma-documents-unsealed/2011-05-20

Senate mulls bill to keep pharma documents

unsealed

May 20, 2011 — 10:47am ET | By Staton

Merck

pays 2,000-plus docs $20.4M for speaking

Drugmakers

paid millions to Mass. health providers

Doc-payment

info hits J & J unit websites

Government

shutdown threatens FDA work

GSK,

Pfizer pay U.S. doctors $262M

The U.S. Senate is looking at spreading the sunshine. Now

that lawmakers have pushed through a mandate for drugmakers to

disclose payments to doctors, they're considering the

"Sunshine in Litigation Act," which would make it more

difficult for judges to seal court documents in

pharmaceuticals lawsuits.

As Pharmalot reports, drugmakers often persuade

judges to seal trial data and internal documents filed during

legal disputes. The argument often is that this information

amounts to "trade secrets" that would harm a company's

business if revealed. Critics say this practice keeps some

crucial safety information hidden from view. So, the Senate

bill would require judges to consider public health before

agreeing to place documents under seal.

"These court-sanctioned secrecy agreements prevent government

officials or consumer groups from learning about defective and

dangerous products that can stay on the market unchallenged,"

Sen. Herb Kohl said in a statement.

Kohl specifically cited two cases in which "crucial"

documents remained under seal, Pharmalot says. In

one, a lawsuit over AstraZeneca's Seroquel, the court unsealed

some documents, but kept submissions to foreign regulators and

correspondence between sales reps and doctors under wraps. In

litigation over Eli Lilly's Zyprexa, key information on side

effects such as weight gain and diabetes remained under seal

until it was leaked to the media.

[Guest guest]

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/senate-mulls-bill-keep-pharma-documents-unsealed/2011-05-20

Senate mulls bill to keep pharma documents

unsealed

May 20, 2011 — 10:47am ET | By Staton

Merck

pays 2,000-plus docs $20.4M for speaking

Drugmakers

paid millions to Mass. health providers

Doc-payment

info hits J & J unit websites

Government

shutdown threatens FDA work

GSK,

Pfizer pay U.S. doctors $262M

The U.S. Senate is looking at spreading the sunshine. Now

that lawmakers have pushed through a mandate for drugmakers to

disclose payments to doctors, they're considering the

"Sunshine in Litigation Act," which would make it more

difficult for judges to seal court documents in

pharmaceuticals lawsuits.

As Pharmalot reports, drugmakers often persuade

judges to seal trial data and internal documents filed during

legal disputes. The argument often is that this information

amounts to "trade secrets" that would harm a company's

business if revealed. Critics say this practice keeps some

crucial safety information hidden from view. So, the Senate

bill would require judges to consider public health before

agreeing to place documents under seal.

"These court-sanctioned secrecy agreements prevent government

officials or consumer groups from learning about defective and

dangerous products that can stay on the market unchallenged,"

Sen. Herb Kohl said in a statement.

Kohl specifically cited two cases in which "crucial"

documents remained under seal, Pharmalot says. In

one, a lawsuit over AstraZeneca's Seroquel, the court unsealed

some documents, but kept submissions to foreign regulators and

correspondence between sales reps and doctors under wraps. In

litigation over Eli Lilly's Zyprexa, key information on side

effects such as weight gain and diabetes remained under seal

until it was leaked to the media.

[Guest guest]

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/senate-mulls-bill-keep-pharma-documents-unsealed/2011-05-20

Senate mulls bill to keep pharma documents

unsealed

May 20, 2011 — 10:47am ET | By Staton

Merck

pays 2,000-plus docs $20.4M for speaking

Drugmakers

paid millions to Mass. health providers

Doc-payment

info hits J & J unit websites

Government

shutdown threatens FDA work

GSK,

Pfizer pay U.S. doctors $262M

The U.S. Senate is looking at spreading the sunshine. Now

that lawmakers have pushed through a mandate for drugmakers to

disclose payments to doctors, they're considering the

"Sunshine in Litigation Act," which would make it more

difficult for judges to seal court documents in

pharmaceuticals lawsuits.

As Pharmalot reports, drugmakers often persuade

judges to seal trial data and internal documents filed during

legal disputes. The argument often is that this information

amounts to "trade secrets" that would harm a company's

business if revealed. Critics say this practice keeps some

crucial safety information hidden from view. So, the Senate

bill would require judges to consider public health before

agreeing to place documents under seal.

"These court-sanctioned secrecy agreements prevent government

officials or consumer groups from learning about defective and

dangerous products that can stay on the market unchallenged,"

Sen. Herb Kohl said in a statement.

Kohl specifically cited two cases in which "crucial"

documents remained under seal, Pharmalot says. In

one, a lawsuit over AstraZeneca's Seroquel, the court unsealed

some documents, but kept submissions to foreign regulators and

correspondence between sales reps and doctors under wraps. In

litigation over Eli Lilly's Zyprexa, key information on side

effects such as weight gain and diabetes remained under seal

until it was leaked to the media.