PMCPA cautions on the way new prices are promoted

pharmafile | January 7, 2009 | News story | Sales and Marketing |  par, reg 

UK pharma companies have been warned not to mislead doctors about new lower prices of medicines.

Code of Practice regulator the PMCPA cautioned the industry that the way prices reduced for the 2009 PPRS are advertised could lead to breaches of the Code.

The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) acknowledged that companies would want to show the lower prices on their promotional material as soon as possible.

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But the regulator added: "It will not be acceptable at any time to give comparative prices in promotional material if these involve the new lower prices of the advertiser's products and the superseded higher prices of competitor products."

It also warned that discrepancies between what representatives say to doctors and the written material they leave with them could cause complaints under the Code of Practice.

The new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) requires prices of medicines to be reduced with effect from 1 February 2009, to achieve an overall reduction per company of 3.9%.

It is in the industry's interests to advertise its new lower prices on promotional material as soon as possible, and in the run up to the changes companies are expected to start showing where they are making reductions.

The PMCPA said that between 1 February and 30 April promotional material still carrying the previous higher price would not be considered to be in breach of the Code.

It also reminded the industry that every effort should be made to ensure journal advertisements are correct at the time of publication.

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