Drug companies succeed in keeping payments to doctors secret

Lobbying by Australia's drug industry association, Medicines Australia, has persuaded the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to scrap a proposal to require public disclosure of drug companies' sponsorship of doctors' travel and accommodation and other promotional benefits.

The commission, a government agency established to protect consumers from anticompetitive activity, had originally proposed accrediting a self regulatory code on the marketing of drugs developed by Medicines Australia member companies, subject to certain amendments.

The first amendment laid down that Medicines Australia publish details of all breaches of the code on its website in full and …