Pharmacists have always had a lot of contact with the pharmaceutical industry. They do, after all, work at the interface where the industry's products meet their intended recipients, namely, patients. They are accustomed to dealing with pharmaceutical companies. But relations with industry are changing for many pharmacists, particularly those actively involved in the work of the new National Health Service bodies such as primary care groups in England (and their equivalents in Scotland and Wales).
Many primary care pharmacists are, for instance, having considerable local influence on the way that medicines are prescribed. And because of that, the industry is taking an interest in what they are doing and seeking to influence them. That is only to be expected. But there is a danger that some attempts to influence might be of an unwelcome or unwise nature. Recognising this, and other relevant factors, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has issued guidance to pharmacists on working with the pharmaceutical industry (see p158).
Much benefit can be derived from a good relationship with the industry. As the guidance acknowledges, the industry knows more about its products than any other source. The industry, too, has financial resources that can be deployed to sponsor activities that benefit the profession and patients. But all these resources, as the guidance makes clear, need to be harnessed with care.
Fortunately, the industry has been anxious to put its own house in order and the excesses of the past are now a matter of history. Codes of practice, to which most manufacturers subscribe, cover promotion of both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. There are also regulations governing medicines advertising which have had a considerable restraining effect.
All these have reduced the pressure that the individual pharmacist might face. But there are still traps for the unwary. Perhaps the best general advice to give is that the individual pharmacist should ask himself or herself the question: "Can I defend my actions, in public if need be?" If the answer to that question is "No" then the future course of action should be clear.
Great public benefit is had from the fruits of the industry. Those benefits can be enhanced by a good working relationship with the pharmaceutical profession. But there are responsibilities on both sides of that relationship. It is the responsibilities on the pharmacists' side that the guidance seeks to address. Pharmacists would be well advised to give it their full attention.