Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - (Page 9) Towards Pharma–Physician Transparency This month, the Royal College of Physicians will recommend a ‘new covenant’ between industry, clinicians and patients. The ABPI’s Dr Richard Tiner, a working party member on the report, tells Gerhard Symons why transparency is key. T he lascivious seduction of incorruptible doctors by sugartongued pharma reps remains an enduring caricature of the relationship between industry and physicians, albeit one which contains a quantum of truth. Pharmaceutical executives holding leadership positions today will have started their career in a culture where the line between hospitality to doctors and unconstrained profligacy was, on occasion, blurred. Successive reforms within the industry’s Code of Practice over the last decade have sought to improve the pharmaceutical’s ROI — that is, reputation of industry — but they have evidently not gone quite far enough. A new report written in consultation with industry representatives,1 under the auspices of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), recommends actions for the industry on patient care, industry’s role in professional education, and the promulgation of a more sober culture between industry and physicians. Dr Richard Tiner, who sat on the working party throughout the 18-month gestation period of the report, revealed that “the RCP recognised that the pharmaceutical industry is an important partner within healthcare but that the working relationship between clinicians and industry wasn’t as good as it could be.” The lascivious seduction of incorruptible doctors by sugartongued pharma reps remains an enduring caricature of the relationship between industry and physicians… Of 42 wide-ranging recommendations to the UK National Health Service, physicians and industry, the ones most likely to raise eyebrows amongst industry relate to culture and professional education. All gifts to qualified and qualifying doctors — including food and travel — should end; moreover, educational funds donated by industry should be disbursed by a centralised administrative unit, not by individuals or companies. Individual sponsorship to attend educational events is a pillar of many industry initiatives, but Dr Tiner calls for greater personal responsibility amongst health care professionals: ”The days of doctors getting free education have gone. Just like many other professions, they have to put their hands in their pocket and support themselves. The Working Party felt it was important to distance industry from direct education, to diffuse accusations of bias, despite the rules and regulations under the Code of Practice.” A centralised educational fund would de-couple direct company sponsorship from individual clinicians, but how would it work in practice? Dr Tiner explained: “As a total pool for the whole country it would be difficult, but for specific projects this already happens. The National Council Research Institute annual conference, set up four years ago, has not been totally reliant on industry sponsorship, but a number of companies have come together to put money into a central pot for the institute to use that money as it sees fit.” As the industry has become more accustomed to full transparency in registering clinical trials, it is no surprise that the report recommends a publiclyaccessible registry of all honoraria payments and fees to doctors. For Dr Tiner, transparency is the key: “This is an important area — if there was more transparency, a lot of the accusations of large sums of money being passed, would be revealed as not being the case. Until we have that transparency, people just don’t believe us.” 1 9 NEWS BIOFUTURES 2 11 FROM THE EDITOR / NEWS DIGITAL MARKETING 6 CALENDAR 7 JACKY LAW 13 ON THE MOVE SUBSCRIBE TO PHARM EXEC http://www.pharmexeceurope.com/europharmexec/News/GSK-to-cut-prices-for-poorest-countries/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/581654?contextCategoryId=3062 http://www.pharmexeceurope.com/europharmexec/News/GSK-to-cut-prices-for-poorest-countries/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/581654?contextCategoryId=3062 http://www.pharmexeceurope.com/europharmexec/newsletter/subscribeNewsletter.jsp
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 Contents From the Editor News Calendar Critical Vision Biofutures Digital Marketing On the Move Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Contents (Page 1) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - News (Page 2) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - News (Page 3) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - News (Page 4) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - News (Page 5) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Calendar (Page 6) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Critical Vision (Page 7) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Critical Vision (Page 8) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Biofutures (Page 9) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Biofutures (Page 10) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Digital Marketing (Page 11) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - Digital Marketing (Page 12) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 25, 2009 - On the Move (Page 13)
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