The UK drug industry: responsible, ethical, and professional?

Abstract

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's (ABPI) code of practice ensures that UK pharmaceutical companies act, as the ABPI requires, in a responsible, ethical, and professional way when promoting their prescription products. Compliance with the code is obligatory for ABPI members, which supply more than 80% of NHS medicines; the code has also been adopted voluntarily by over 60 non-member companies. Last week saw the first major revision of this code for over 10 years; these changes will take effect from January, 2006. A central aim of the revision is to increase transparency, especially with regard to complaints. Results of some complaints will now be advertised in the medical and pharmaceutical press. Further improvements in transparency concern the industry's involvement with patient's organisations. Patient's organisations wield significant lobbying power for the use of favoured drugs, with or without appropriate supporting evidence. ABPI members must now make public all patient organisations to which they provide financial support, and describe the exact terms of their involvement. The revised code also makes an attempt to increase the industry's commitment to drug safety, requiring all promotional material to contain information about adverse event reporting mechanisms. Although bold in its aim, the details of this safety requirement simply mean that the Government's adverse event website should be mentioned, along with a recommendation to report adverse events to the relevant pharmaceutical company. Pharmaceutical companies must also only offer economy air travel for delegates they sponsor, and are forbidden from using “… lavish or deluxe venues” or “… venues that are renowned for their entertainment facilities.” For improving the transparency of its code of practice, encouraging companies to focus even more on drug safety, and limiting inappropriate incentives, the ABPI should be congratulated. However, it is notable that the code only applies to prescription medicines, and not to promotion of over-the-counter medicines. This failure to protect consumers requires urgent attention at a time when increasing numbers of medicines are available without prescription.