Transparency is key for drug industry relationships
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has decided to grant authorisation for five years to Medicines Australia’s 16th edition of its Code of Conduct.
The Code sets standards for the marketing and promotion of prescription pharmaceutical products in Australia.
It provides, among other things, a standard to address potential conflicts of interest from unrestricted relationships between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals, which may harm consumers, for example through inappropriate prescribing by healthcare professionals.
The Code prohibits pharmaceutical companies from providing entertainment and extravagant hospitality to healthcare professionals, with the requirement that all benefits provided by companies successfully withstand public and professional scrutiny….”
