EC plan to relax patient information rules opposed
Industry sets out its position
A spokeswoman for the Association of the British
Pharmaceutical Industry pointed out that its code of practice prevents
manufacturers
from advertising prescription-only medicines to patients and
that it has never called for the opportunity to provide information
on prescription medicines to patients via television or radio
programmes.
But she added that the ABPI is keen for patients to have the
most accurate information about their medicines, especially because
of “unauthorised” information
that patients can find on the internet and which may not be accurate. |
Pharmaceutical companies will be allowed to publicise information about prescription-only medicines in radio and TV programmes if proposals being drawn up by the EC are approved.
The suggestion, which would be included in a new EU directive for all
its member states, has caused disquiet in the UK even though the EC insists
that the current ban
on companies being able to advertise their prescription drugs to the
public will still apply.
Opposition to the idea outlined in a consultation paper “Legal
proposal on information to patients” (PDF 80K) from the Directorate
General for Enterprise and Industry, comes from several pharmacy organisations,
including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists,
the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, as well as patient organisations
such as the Picker Institute.
They all share the same concern that giving the industry the chance to
use the media to disseminate patient information is little different
from allowing them to advertise their products.
In its response
to the consultation, the guild says: “This is advertising,
even if technically in law it is not, and will have the same effect as
advertising, eg, requests to clinicians to prescribe particular drugs
even though this may not be in the best interests for [patients].”
The Society has similar reservations. In a statement it said: “We
do not consider that the industry can be regarded as an objective source
of information given the nature of its financial interest in prescription
medicine, and hence we consider this proposal is not consistent with
the broad objectives set out in the consultation document.”
(PDF 40K)
The PGEU, which represents community pharmacists in 30 European countries,
including EU states, believes the proposal from the EC is severely flawed.
Providing information through television, radio and other media will
not address the individual needs of patients, it points out in its response
to the consultation, which ended earlier this month. The proposal would
threaten the integrity and confidence that patients have in information
about their prescribed medicines, the organisation warns.
“The sole justification of any change in this area can only be
to help patients, and not grant more commercial freedom to the pharmaceutical
industry. The consultation gives the impressions that that principle
has been overlooked,” the PGEU says.
The Picker Institute, a charity that considers the patient’s perspective
in healthcare policy and practice, strongly opposes the EC plan which
it says is “clearly driven by the pharmaceutical industry’s
interests — not by the interests of the patient”.
The institute
also believes that the distinction between advertising and information
would be unworkable in practice and would undermine the ban on direct-to
consumer advertising.
The EC is consulting on a new legal directive in an attempt to harmonise
the quality and detail of information from drug companies to patients
about their prescription-only medicines across the EU. It argues that
the rules vary across EU member states leading to unequal access to information. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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