Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20016

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Magazine

Pharmaceutical industry praised
Australian Doctor 1998 Sep 258

Full text:

Doctors should be able to expect more professional and credible information from drug representatives as a result of education program run by the pharmaceutical industry, according to Federal AMA president Dr David Brand.

Addressing the annual conference of the Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Association (APMA), Dr Brand congratulated the pharmaceutical industry for its efforts to ensure drug representatives were knowledgeable and ethical in their dealings with doctors.

“The professionalism of representatives has increased dramatically since I became a GP 20 years ago, as has their knowledge of therapeutics”, Dr Brand told the conference.

“Representatives now provide a consistently excellent standard of communication with GPs”.

Dr Brand presented awards to 11 graduates of APMA’s continuing education program, which is offered to drug representatives by correspondence through Melbourne’s Monash University.

APMA chief executive officer Pat Clear said study topics included pharmacology, product information, clinical trials and scientific literature to help representatives provide doctors and pharmacists with accurate and balanced information. It was also intended to assist in the quality use of medicines.

“What we’re really about is lifting the level of standards and to ensure that reps are properly qualified to act as the conduits of information between pharmaceutical companies and medical practitioners”, Mr Clear said.

“It is important to be seen as professional and ethical and providing credible information to doctors”.

The industry’s code of conduct requires all drug representatives to begin the three-year course within the first six months of working in the industry.

More than 170 representatives completed the program in the last financial year.