Ethical pharmaceutical promotion and communications worldwide: codes and regulations

Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine

Paul Woods⁵  Heather Simmonds⁶  Chrisoula Nikidis³  Kirti Narsai¹  Tamara Music⁷  Jose Zamarriego Izquierdo²  Jeffrey Francer⁴ 

[1] Formally: Pharmaceutical Industry Association of South Africa (PIASA), Johannesburg, South Africa;The National Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Spain (Farmaindustria) Code Surveillance Unit, Madrid, Spain;Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D Canada), Ottawa, Canada;Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Washington DC, USA;Paul Woods Compliance Ltd, Macclesfield, UK;The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), London, UK;International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), 15 Chemin Louis-Dunant, PO Box 195, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

关键词: Promotion of medicines;    Code compliance;    Self-regulation;    Pharmaceutical industry;   

Others  :  816366
DOI  :  10.1186/1747-5341-9-7

 received in 2013-07-02, accepted in 2014-03-09,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

The international pharmaceutical industry has made significant efforts towards ensuring compliant and ethical communication and interaction with physicians and patients. This article presents the current status of the worldwide governance of communication practices by pharmaceutical companies, concentrating on prescription-only medicines. It analyzes legislative, regulatory, and code-based compliance control mechanisms and highlights significant developments, including the 2006 and 2012 revisions of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) Code of Practice.

Developments in international controls, largely built upon long-established rules relating to the quality of advertising material, have contributed to clarifying the scope of acceptable company interactions with healthcare professionals. This article aims to provide policy makers, particularly in developing countries, with an overview of the evolution of mechanisms governing the communication practices, such as the distribution of promotional or scientific material and interactions with healthcare stakeholders, relating to prescription-only medicines.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Francer et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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