Healthy Skepticism Library item: 8936

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

PhRMA Statement on Restricting Drug Marketing and Education
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America 2007 Feb 13
http://web.archive.org/web/20070225000519/http://www.phrma.org/news_room/press_releases/phrma_statement_on_restricting_drug_marketing_and_education/

Full text:

Washington, D.C. (February 13, 2007) – Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson issued the following statement today on attempts to restrict or ban discussions between technically-trained drug sales representatives and health professionals:

“America’s pharmaceutical research companies strongly agree that the prescribing decisions of all health care practitioners should be based on the best medical and scientific evidence and a patient’s individual needs.

“That’s why we advocate physicians and other health professionals obtaining information about medicines from a wide range of sources, including medical journals, continuing medical education courses, other physicians and the technically-trained sales representatives of the pharmaceutical research companies that discover and develop new treatments. Most health professionals review information from different sources and make independent decisions.

“Sales representatives — many of whom are health care professionals themselves — are well-prepared to provide the latest scientific information about the medicines developed by their research-based companies. And they can answer an array of questions about drugs and their characteristics, including queries about the benefits, proper use and side effects of the treatments. America’s pharmaceutical research companies — which generated tens of thousands of pages of scientific data as they researched and developed new drugs — naturally have the most thorough information and they make sure their representatives are well-prepared to explain medicines and their features.

“The Food and Drug Administration provides the regulatory teeth to make sure information provided by sales representatives is accurate and well-balanced. Companies must comply with strict agency regulations. Additionally, the effort to guarantee accuracy and balance is boosted by PhRMA itself through its voluntary marketing guidelines, which are contained in its Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals. The comprehensive PhRMA marketing code provides guidance on how sales personnel can and should maintain ethical relationships in their discussions with health care professionals.

“The PhRMA Code is designed to ensure that the focus of interactions between sales representatives and physicians is the valuable information the reps provide about drugs and how they work. The guidelines state that lavish meals, entertainment — including sporting events — and expensive gifts are never appropriate. Gifts that may be appropriate under the Code should support the medical practices of health professionals.

“Specifically, meals are supposed to be modest. While sales representatives do not have a vested interest in bringing food to physicians’ offices, the fact is that doctors and other health professionals are very busy and often the only time they have to meet to discuss medicines is over a working lunch or dinner. The PhRMA code contemplates modest meals only if they are provided during presentations about the benefits, risks and proper use of drugs.

“Clearly, today’s meetings between sales representatives and doctors do not hinder the ability of physicians to make independent judgments. But because it is important health professionals receive the crucial technical drug data companies can provide, PhRMA members are interested in learning about other ways of providing the latest scientific information about medicines researched and developed by biopharmaceutical companies. PhRMA does not think that the answers lie in medical schools, hospitals and clinics that restrict the access of pharmaceutical sales representatives as this could limit — or cut off altogether — vital information about the benefits and risks of new medicines.

“When addressing the free patient samples companies provide, it is important to remember the benefit that samples bring to patients and their doctors. For physicians, samples help them receive early hands-on experience to determine if certain treatments are going to benefit the patients in their medical practices. For patients, it is a matter of having doctors who have the information they need to make the right treatment decisions. In addition, free samples are often given to uninsured patients who cannot afford their medications.

“In the end, it all boils down to helping make certain patients are safely and effectively treated. Pharmaceutical marketing is one of several important ways for doctors to receive the information they need to make sure their treatment choices are the right ones and their patients are properly treated.”