US pharma marketing Code updated
pharmafile | July 17, 2008 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing |Â Â Â
Dining out, staff training and medical education are among the major issues under the microscope in the US industry association PhRMA's updated voluntary Code of Practice.
The Code takes effect from January 2009 and forbids sales reps from providing restaurant meals to healthcare professionals. Meanwhile pharma companies are tasked with ensuring their reps are sufficiently trained about laws and regulations relating to their work with such customers.
It will still be alright for reps to provide 'occasional' food in doctors' own offices so long as there is also some kind of relevant presentation to go along with the sandwiches. The previous version of the Code, published in 2002, already stated that companies should not dish out entertainment or 'recreational benefits' such as theatre and sporting event tickets.
There are now also stricter rules on providing medical education, with companies required to separate out the function by which they arrange and fund med ed work to make such activity distinct from their sales and marketing departments.
The Code also explicitly says financial support cannot be "an inducement to prescribe or recommend a particular medicine or course of treatment". In addition, pharma firms should not provide any guidance on the content of an education programme to the education provider – even if they are asked for that advice.
The revisions to the US Code come hard on the heels of EFPIA's own Code update for its European member companies.
David Norton, chairman of both the Pharmaceuticals Group at Johnson & Johnson and of the PhRMA committee leading the Code changes, said: "Doctors rely on accurate and appropriate information about new medicines in order to provide the best possible care to their patients.
"The changes to the Code demonstrate that the members of PhRMA are committed to continue enhancing how our industry serves physicians and patients."
Other Code highlights:
* Companies must periodically assess reps, taking appropriate action if they fail to comply with relevant standards of conduct
* Pens, mugs and so on carrying company logos cannot be given to doctors and staff
* Member company chief executives certify on an annual basis that they have processes in place to comply with the Code
Above all, the Code reaffirms that business should be focused on "informing the healthcare professionals about products, providing scientific and educational information, and supporting medical research and education". It also contains a useful Q&A section, in which various scenarios are played out, for those still unsure about what it allowed.
The revisions are the latest in a series of efforts by PhRMA to improve transparency in the drug industry.
Last August, it set up an informal, voluntary panel of independent health professionals to monitor TV and print advertising and also created an Office of Accountability, set up to receive comments from the public and from healthcare professionals regarding DTC advertisements by member companies.
