1. Pink Sheet
  2. >>Compliance
  3. >>Marketing & Advertising

COVID-19 Leads To Less Industry Spend On Docs, But Not Necessarily Less Influence

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

Drug and medical device company payments to doctors and hospitals for non-research related activities dropped for the first time in 2020 since CMS’s Open Payments database began collecting the information. 

sunrise
CMS Sunshine Database reveals COVID-19 impacts. • Source: Alamy

Pharmaceutical and medical device companies spent $1.65bn less on payments to doctors and hospitals in 2020 than in prior years, a dip driven almost entirely by a drop in payments for non-research related activities like speaking fees, consulting, travel reimbursement, and meals, new US Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Open Payments data shows.

Open Payments tracks compensation from drug and device manufacturers to physicians and teaching hospitals. The payments are divided into three...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Pink Sheet for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Marketing & Advertising

Novo, Lilly Ad Challenges Cause Discontinued Claims For Compounded GLP-1s

 
• By Sue Sutter

Two pharmacies, a medical spa and a telehealth company voluntarily removed efficacy, safety and quality claims for compounded GLP-1 products after innovator companies filed challenges with the National Advertising Division.

Pharma DTC Ad Tax Break Targeted By US HHS, Congress

 
• By Derrick Gingery

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said a policy that would remove the tax write-off for pharma advertising expenses would be coming in a few weeks.

Sarfez Pharma’s Promotional Claims For Diuretic Soaanz Draw US FDA Warning Letter

 
• By Sue Sutter

Webpages, a healthcare professional pamphlet and a medical conference exhibit booth panel make unsupported comparative superiority claims about generic torsemide products and misrepresent risks, the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion says in its first warning letter of 2025.

Mayne’s Nextstellis Promo Wrong To Suggest Better Safety Than Other Contraceptives, FDA Says

 
• By Sue Sutter

A professional slide deck for the drospirenone/estetrol oral contraceptive inappropriately suggests it is safer than other estrogen-containing products and understates risks, Office of Prescription Drug Promotion said in the first “untitled” letter issued since reductions-in-force.

More from Compliance

PBM Investigation, Enforcement Action ‘Critical Priorities’ At FTC, Chair Says

 
• By Cathy Kelly

The new FTC chair addressed concerns that staffing cuts will undermine the commission’s commitment to pharmacy benefit manager oversight.

US FDA’s Familiar Drug Pricing To-Do List

 
• By Michael McCaughan

President Trump’s new Executive Order on drug pricing reprises several policy themes from his first administration, including giving the FDA many tasks intended to increase competition in the marketplace.

Pharma DTC Ad Tax Break Targeted By US HHS, Congress

 
• By Derrick Gingery

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said a policy that would remove the tax write-off for pharma advertising expenses would be coming in a few weeks.