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Colorado Pharma Victory for MRA
In the US, the Marketing Research Association (MRA) has secured an amendment to the Colorado Pharmaceutical Transparency Act exempting incentive payments for health care practitioners who participate in MR projects from a more general ban.
MRA's Director of Government Affairs Howard Fienberg thanked the law's sponsor, Senator Morgan Carroll on behalf of the survey and opinion research profession: 'Marketing research incentives could have been included in this law if not for Senator Carroll's recognition of the importance and value of research and how it differs from marketing.'
The move follows a study conducted last year, that showed that more than 30% of physicians may no longer participate in market research if the Sunshine Payment Act is implemented; requiring drug and device manufacturers to disclose incentive payments over $20 for market research.
Last month, the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy confirmed that survey research companies can legally conduct market research with health care practitioners in the state, following lobbying by MR associations CASRO, MRA and PMRG.
The three associations worked together with the Board of Pharmacy and Office of the Minnesota Attorney General to clarify language in the guideline document, which had previously prevented pharma market research taking place in the state.
MRA has also been successful in defeating similar bills lacking such an amendment in Connecticut, Hawaii, and Mississippi.
Web site: www.mra-net.org .
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