Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18750
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
O'Donoghue N
Docs make up their own minds: MA
Pharmacy News 2010 Oct 20
http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/article/docs-make-up-their-own-minds-ma/524593.aspx
Full text:
Medicines Australia has dismissed calls for doctors to avoid information from pharmaceutical companies, saying drug manufacturers have a legitimate right to promote their products.
Results from an international study, published in PLoS Medicine, found no benefit for doctors from pharmaceutical promotion.
Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw refuted the findings, saying doctors were voting with their feet by attending educational events sponsored by drug companies to find out more about new products.
“Doctors will make their own judgements as to whether they wish to engage with pharmaceutical company representatives.
“The fact is that no one knows more about how medicines work than the companies who make them.
“Every year in Australia thousands of doctors vote with their feet by attending company sponsored medical education events because they derive genuine educational benefit from them,” he said.
Dr Shaw added, “Manufacturers have a legitimate commercial right to promote their products to doctors, so long as the information provided is current, accurate, balanced and consistent with the Product Information, and that the promotion is undertaken in a manner that is ethical and adherent to the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct”.
Despite Dr Shaw’s assertions, the study, led by researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ), found promotions tactics used by pharmaceutical companies could influence and harm doctors’ prescribing.
Lead author, Dr Geoffrey Spurling from UQ, urged doctors to use independent sources when researching new medicines and to be aware of drug company promotional ploys.
He added, “If companies want to contribute to medical education then they should put their money into a common pool that would be administered by an independent organisation [to provide educational events for doctors],” he said.
