Voluntary marketing codes: The UK ABPI Code of Practice and its implications for the proposed Code of Practice for the Promotion of NHS Services

Abstract

The marketing of pharmaceuticals is one of the most highly regulated marketing environments in any industry. A variety of codes of practice operate in different countries, some voluntary and others statutory. In all, however, healthcare managers and practitioners are becoming prominent in raising concerns with the regulatory authorities. With the development of competition for the provision of healthcare in the UK, healthcare managers may find themselves challenging the marketing approaches employed by their competitors and colleagues. The planned introduction of the Code of Practice for the Promotion of NHS Services in the UK could have resource implications for these managers that they have not accounted for in their current business plans and skill maps. Although this is a very broad subject and the Code and its clauses are still in draft form, this paper will briefly explore three pertinent questions: What processes are required to support the proposed Code? What is the level of scrutiny to which promotion will be subject? What are the implications for skill mix and resources?