The District of Columbia Council approved legislation on Jan. 8 that would require pharmaceutical sales representatives to obtain licenses to operate within city limits, The Washington Post reports.

UMass Memorial Medical Center has taken one of the most comprehensive approaches yet by a teaching hospital to limit clinician-industry interaction.

A Maine law that would have limited access by medical data companies to doctors' prescription information was reversed on constitutional grounds.

Physicians were asked to rank the companies that have the best general sales reps, specialty sales reps and medical science liaisons as part of "Specialty Reps 2007: An Influential Force," a recent Verispan survey of 4,000 physicians from across 24 specialties.

The District of Columbia could become the first jurisdiction within the country to require the licensing of pharmaceutical sales representatives, pending the outcome of a bill being voted on Tuesday in the local DC Council.

The FDA is set to issue draft guidance outlining criteria for dissemination of journal articles on off-label uses, a Congressman has found.

Lilly USA president Deirdre Connelly yesterday took a swipe at online forums that attract disgruntled, venting sales reps, describing sites like CafePharma.com as "outlets for people who don't have the courage to speak out with their ideas" for improving their roles and the performance of their companies.

Less than a year after declaring it would cut one-fifth of its sales force, Pfizer has come out on top in a study of the most valued reps.

Sepracor will eliminate 300 sales force positions as part of a cost cutting plan to reduce expenses by $90 million-$100 million for 2008.

GlaxoSmithKline is eliminating around 1,000 sales positions as part of a plan to save $1.4 billion by 2010 through job and plant cuts.