Healthy Skepticism Library item: 10720

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: news

Pharmaceutical industry loses challenge to function reporting
ABC News (Australia) 2007 Jun 27
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/27/1963604.htm?section=justin

Full text:

The Australian Competition Tribunal has ruled the pharmaceutical industry will have to publicly reveal hospitality benefits given to health care professionals.

The rule was imposed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The tribunal has affirmed that pharmaceutical companies must report on all gatherings for the medical profession, which they spend vast amount of money on each year.

The industry group, Medicines Australia, challenged imposition of that condition on its code of conduct by the ACCC.

Commission chairman Graeme Samuel says the information will be a great benefit.

“This information will be valuable source to enable them to determine whether or not doctors are being placed under undue commercial pressure to prescribe a particular drugs,” he said.

Medicines Australia argued the conditions were onerous and of little public benefit, but has told the ACCC it will not appeal.