Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19915

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: Magazine

Fleming K
New pharma code threatens care quality
Medical Observer 2006 Aug 4

Full text:

A new code of conduct governing relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical companies could jeopardise legitimate medical education, the AMA has warned.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last week approved Medicines Australia’s code, something it does regularly. But it also called for a new requirement for companies to publicly detail functions they funded, including venue and cost of meals.

The AMA said the ACCC had fallen for the media beat-up over alleged pharmaceutical company inducements.

Doctors’ relationships with pharmaceutical companies were under fire in the mainstream media last week, after it was claimed Roche took a group of almost 300 cancer specialists to a $200-a-head dinner.

ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said the new condition, under which Medicines Australia would publish six-monthly reports of company sponsored doctor functions on its website, would “raise the level of transparency”.

“The condition aims to assist scrutiny of sponsorship activities of pharmaceutical companies by the general public”, he said.

But AMA president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal said industry-sponsored events were often necessary and appropriate, as they were not promotional and education was not the primary objective.

“If doctors do not learn about new life-saving and health enhancing drugs through the seminars put on by pharmaceutical companies, then patients will not be prescribed the best possible drug for their condition – it’s as simple as that”, he said.

“Doctors will not be influenced by gifts or any sort of inducements by the pharmaceutical industry, including the provision of meals during educational activities”.

Medicines Australia said it would give the new condition the “careful consideration” it required before responding to the ACCC.