Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6294

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Publication type: news

CHOICE calls for greater scrutiny of pharmaceutical marketing, its impact on medical practice and cost pressures on the health system.
Choice 2006 Oct 6
http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=104825&catId=100386&tid=100008&p=1&title=Drug+advertising

Full text:

CHOICE: Drug advertising: http://tinyurl.com/yxka3u

CHOICE calls for greater scrutiny of pharmaceutical marketing, its impact on medical practice and cost pressures on the health system.
10/06

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http://www.choice.com.au/goArticle.aspx?ID=104825&p=02

The issue

CHOICE is concerned that some pharmaceutical companies are employing
sophisticated and potentially misleading marketing strategies to
increase drug sales and that this can lead to leakage (drugs approved
for one purpose being commonly used for another) and an increase in the
cost of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Medicines Australia (MA) the peak body for the pharmaceutical industry,
has developed a Code of Conduct (the Code) on pharmaceutical marketing.
The Code applies to all members of MA. It sets the standards for the
ethical marketing and promotion of prescription pharmaceutical products
in Australia.

Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 2005 suggests
many ads do not comply with the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct.
Pharmaceutical companies target doctors and consumers in a variety of
ways. Pharmaceutical promotion in prescribing software occurs at the
time of physician–patient consultation and has been found to be an
effective form of advertising to doctors. The Code is ineffective in
policing the industry.

What we want

• A ban on pharmaceutical promotion in doctors’ prescribing software.

• A new, independent regulator for pharmaceutical marketing, to replace
  the industry lobbying body Medicines Australia. The new regulator should
  also review and improve the Code, including by increasing the range and
  level of sanctions.

• Independent drug detailers to replace drug reps to visit GPs to inform
  them about new drugs on the market.

• An independent inquiry into all aspects of pharmaceutical marketing in
  Australia, its impact on medical practice and its contribution to cost
  pressures on the health system

What we’re doing

• CHOICE wrote to the Federal Treasurer and the Minister for Health
  calling for a ban on pharmaceutical promotion in doctors’ prescribing
  software.

• We also wrote to the Minister for Health expressing our concern about
  self regulation of pharmaceutical advertising.

• Our paper presented to the Pharmaceutical Industry Action Agenda
  (PIAA) conference in November 2005 argued that advertising by
  pharmaceutical companies which targets doctors and consumers leads to
  cost pressures on the Pharmaceutical benefits Scheme (PBS) which are
  passed on to consumers.

CHOICE’s complaint to Medicines Australia.

Bayer recently ran a campaign offering a money back guarantee for an
erectile drug. CHOICE lodged a complaint with the industry body,
Medicines Australia, about the ads and they were withdrawn. This is a
win for consumers.

Rules about pharmaceutical ads illustrate the problem with self
regulation. The Code of Conduct Committee took six weeks to reach a
decision about the complaint, during which time Bayer could continue to
run the ad campaign. Even though Bayer was found to be in breach of the
industry code, it was not fined. Bayer has been in breach before and
will likely do it again because of the small sanctions and ineffective
monitoring of ads in the pharmaceutical industry.