Patrick lobbied to drop gift provision

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has been a darling of the biotech industry, repeatedly lauded for pushing through a $1 billion support program for the industry. But now the state's biotech association has been pushing Patrick hard to drop a provision in a new healthcare bill that forces doctors to disclose gifts and meals worth more than $50. Businesses say the provision would reveal internal strategies to competitors while proponents are quick to say that the exposure would effectively limit the way drug companies try to influence physicians. Report