Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1727
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
Health-literate patients-an asset to society
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations 2002 Mar 19
Full text:
The pharmaceutical industry welcomes the Commission’s proposal to liberalise the flow of information to patients about prescription medicines in Europe (see art. 88 of Modifications of Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community Code relating to Medicinal Products for human use, as adopted by the Commission on 26 Nov. 2001). The draft amendment to the Advertising Directive is a modest first step towards the greater health literacy vital to every European citizen and for public health in general.
EFPIA supports a flexible and progressive European approach to communicate about prescription medicines with the general public and patients and look forward to discussing the proposed changes with all interested parties, especially patient groups.
The industry respects and reacts positively to the strong and rising demand by patients for more knowledge of their disease, medicines and therapies needed to make informed decisions about their own health care and well-being.
EFPIA welcomes the Commission’s proposal in so far as it responds to the expectations expressed by patient groups, but question the discriminatory aspect of selecting three diseases with the exclusion of all others. If there is no overriding public health interest that requires a ban on advertising/information regarding medicines for AIDS, asthma and diabetes, we do not see how such a ban can be justified for cancer, multiple sclerosis or other diseases.
EFPIA fears that the proposed long and rigid scheme for implementation does not seem to be in the patients’ interest.
Health literacy is an important basis for health promotion. It contributes to disease prevention, helps to ensure early diagnosis, induces better compliance with prescribed treatment, and promotes beneficial understanding between doctor and patient. It is a process that, in turn, produces better health outcomes, lowers the need for expensive hospitalisation and long-term care, cuts the days taken off work, lessens disability and improves the quality of life as a whole. When they are necessary, medicines correctly taken reduce overall health and social costs and relieve the burden on society.
EFPIA fully endorses that in their quest patients should receive information that is trustworthy, objective and easily understood. Moreover, EFPIA believes that a company, which has conducted the research and development of a particular product and is legally accountable, should be one of the essential sources of such quality information about the medicine.
Thus EFPIA welcomes the chance to provide, both to patients and their doctors, balanced, accurate, reliable and validated information about our medicines, based on the “summary of product characteristics” approved and authorised by competent national or European authorities.
The Internet has overtaken current regulations. European restrictions cannot be applied to the worldwide web, which gives many EU citizens access to information about medicines generated outside Europe. Hence, for obvious public health and safety reasons, information about our products should be directly relevant to European conditions, be posted in national languages and be based on approvals given in Europe.
Health services, pharmacists, the medical profession, patient and consumer groups and pharmaceutical companies, each have a role and a common interest in improving the health of patients and creating a healthy society.
The rapid development of communications technologies and the call for a knowledge-based society in Europe together will unavoidably lead to providing patients with the quality health information they demand.
The pharmaceutical industry will collaborate whole-heartedly in drawing up an appropriate and responsible self-regulatory mechanism in the interest of the patient. The EFPIA Guidelines for Internet adopted by the Board in September 2001 are an exemplary precedent.
KEY MESSAGES:
- Providing information to patients improves communication between doctors and patients.
- Informed patients are more likely to comply with use and dosage instructions, ensuring safer and more successful outcomes.
- Providing information to patients will lead to more efficient use of healthcare resources.
- Prescription medicines are subject to professional and regulatory safeguards.
