Doctors will soon have to disclose gifts and payments they receive from pharmaceutical companies. Under the Sunshine Act, a provision of the Affordable Care Act, pharmaceutical and medical-device companies will have to record nearly every financial interaction they have with doctors, whether it’s paying them for research consultation, paying them for speeches, or sending a pizza to their office. That information will then be published on a searchable, public website from September 2014 onward. Many physicians make considerable income from consulting and speaking fees they receive from drug companies; last year alone the biggest drugmaker, Pfizer, paid $173.2 million to health-care professionals.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 thin-skinned cartoons about shooting the messengerCartoons Artists take on unfavorable weather, a look in the mirror, and more
-
Is Trump's new peacemaking model working in DR Congo?Talking Point Truce brokered by the US president in June is holding, but foundations of a long-term peace have let to be laid
-
Crossword: August 10, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
