Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13143

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Publication type: report

Guidelines for the interaction between pharmaceutical companies and Australian medical students
: Australian Medical Students' Association 2008 Feb 28
http://www.amsa.org.au/docs/pharmaceutical_guidelines.pdf

Abstract:

Introduction

The Australian Medical Students’ Association is committed to connecting, informing and representing Australia’s medical student population. Over the past decade the issue of accepting sponsorship
from pharmaceutical companies has become increasingly contentious and has absorbed many hours of fervent debate at AMSA Councils.

The idea of writing a policy on pharmaceutical sponsorship was first broached in 2004. Extensive surveying of the Australian medical student population was carried out with the subsequent policy being passed at the July Council of 2005. By February of 2007, AMSA Council had reached a general consensus that it was time to review the pharmaceutical sponsorship policy and the PSWP was subsequently created. The PSWP was chaired by the 2007 AMSA Vice President, Paul Eleftheriou and consisted of three members of the 2006 National Council (Olivia Pegram, Claire Stewart and Brenton Systermans) and three members of the 2007 National Council (Mark Friel, Shehnarz Salindera and Tej Mettho). The PSWP set out to examine the research available on the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and medical students. As much of the international research investigated by the PSWP was not applicable to the Australian situation these Guidelines are based on AMA findings as well as the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct.

It is pharmaceutical companies’ promotion of their PBS listed products to medical students which is of major concern to AMSA because of the potential to influence medical students’ future prescribing habits. Medical students are technically members of the general public as they are yet to graduate and register as doctors. As such any interaction between pharmaceutical companies and medical students must comply with regulations that dictate the relationship between the general public and pharmaceutical companies. However, medical students are frequently exposed to the marketing techniques of pharmaceutical companies in hospitals, community clinical settings and at medical conferences.

As such, it was recognized that appropriate Guidelines on medical student interaction with pharmaceutical companies needed to be formulated. These Guidelines set out to provide principles which govern the interactions that AMSA, medical student societies and medical
students have with pharmaceutical companies.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
GLOSSARY 4
ABBREVIATIONS 5
INTRODUCTION 6
PREAMBLE 7
SECTION 1: NATURE AND LIMIT OF PHARMACEUTICAL SPONSORSHIP
OF AMSA, MEDICAL STUDENT SOCIETIES AND MEDICAL STUDENTS 8
SECTION 2: EDUCATION ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS WITH PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANIES 10
SECTION 3: AMSA EVENTS 13
SECTION 4: MEDICAL STUDENT SOCIETY EVENTS 17
SECTION 5: AMSA AND MEDICAL STUDENT SOCIETY PUBLICATIONS 19
SECTION 6: EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL 21
SECTION 7: EDUCATIONAL EVENTS 22
SECTION 8: MERCHANDISE AND PROMOTIONAL ITEMS 24
SECTION 9: COMPETITIONS, GIFTS AND OFFERS 25
SECTION 10: AMSA EXTERNAL STUDENT DELEGATIONS 27
SECTION 11: ELECTIVE BURSARIES 30
SECTION 12: RESEARCH 32
APPENDIX 1: PROCEDURAL POLICY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY SPONSORSHIP APPLICATIONS 34
APPENDIX 2: APPLICATION TO AMSA COUNCIL FOR
APPROVAL TO SEEK PHARMACEUTICAL SPONSORSHIP 38