New York Healthcare Law Blog

Early this year, New York State government introduced a new provision to the Public Health Law, entitled "Interactions Between Pharmaceutical Companies and Health Care Professionals" (Section 279).  If enacted, the new law, would be the first state law to provide a code of conduct applicable to healthcare professionals to whom companies that sell prescription drugs, biologics or medical devices market their products.   Notably, Section 279 includes provisions that differ from other current state laws and industry codes, such as prohibition agains a pharmaceutical company being a CME provider as well as prohibition  against providing and/or accepting compensation to a healthcare provider for attenting a CME event.  Violations of the proposed law may subject pharmaceutical companies to civil penalities and physicians and other healthcare providers to civil penalties and other disciplinary action.