Healthy Skepticism Library item: 15727

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: media release

French Physicians Need to Respect the Law on the Transparency of Medical Information!
Formindep 2009 Apr 27
http://www.formindep.org/L-enquete-du-Formindep

Full text:

In conjunction with Formindep, a physicians’ organization promoting independent medical information, UFC-Que Choisir is filing a complaint against nine key medical experts

A French consumer-advocacy group wants to ensure the implementation of a new French law designed to protect scientific truth from advertising hype in the market for new pharmaceutical products. UFC-Que Choisir is taking legal action against nine prominent French physicians, alleging that they are not in compliance with Article L 4113-13 of the Public Health Code. The decree issued in March 2007 stipulates that any health professional making a public statement about a healthcare product must declare any financial ties to the companies manufacturing or marketing that product.

Opinion leaders play a key role in the marketing strategy of the pharmaceutical industry, which needs to continue to increase profits despite a lack of therapeutic innovations. These doctors’ medical expertise and ability to speak with confidence to the media make them the perfect vehicle for laundering pharmaceutical advertising into scientific information. One recent report by a French government agency, IGAS (General Inspectorate for Social Affairs), reveals that some hospital doctors can earn up to 90,000 euros from the industry for a conference or 600,000 euros in ‘consultancy’ fees.

This advertising strategy is compromising professional integrity. In recent years, the safety of prominent new drugs has been called into question after the drugs were widely dispensed to the public and endorsed by health professionals. It has led to large-scale health scandals involving medications such as Vioxx, a menopause hormone treatment, the Neurontin or Zyprexa cases in the USA, etc, and to additional health costs which run into the hundreds of millions or even billions of euros

One year after the decree was issued, Formindep monitored 150 health professionals’ public statements in 30 media, both public and professional, and various other venues. At the end of the survey, it was clear that health professionals and the authorities responsible for its application were ignoring this law. On the basis of these findings, UFC-Que Choisir decided to file a complaint against nine of these opinion leaders for failure to comply with the law on the transparency of medical information. “By taking legal action, we are sending a powerful message that health professionals need to start complying with this new law that forces a clear distinction between what should be scientifically unbiased, reliable drug information and advertising” said UFC-Que Choisir president or spokesperson [name].

Some members of parliament, as well as an IGAS report in 2007, have recommended that the agreements between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry, which must be approved by medical councils, should be publicly accessible. Pharmaceutical companies should be required to list details of the compensation and other perks given to health professionals. Formindep will continue to work towards this goal.

The doctors concerned are: Laurent Boccon-Gibod (urologist), Bernard Charbonnel (endocrinologist), Yves Dauvilliers (neurologist), Philippe Faucher (gynecologist-obstetrician), Xavier Girerd (cardiologist), Serge Halimi (endocrinologist), Florence Pasquier (neurologist), Henri Rozenbaum (gynecologist) and Olivier Ziegler (endocrinologist).

For more information, read the survey results and the editorial: http://www.formindep.org

Press contact: Philippe Foucras – 00 33 6 25 17 23 34 – p.foucras@formindep.org