Unethical pharmaceutical marketing: a common problem requiring collective responsibility

The marketing practices used by pharmaceutical companies have been a longstanding concern,12 with controversial techniques including the use of medical opinion leaders and third parties such as patient advocacy groups. In many jurisdictions, including Europe,3 Japan,4 Canada,5 and Australia,6 marketing by pharmaceutical companies is largely regulated by the industry itself, based on codes of practice drawn up by national industry trade groups. The UK has one of the most advanced and extensively studied self-regulatory systems in Europe78910 and globally (box 1).34Box 1UK’s pharmaceutical industry self-regulationOversight of prescription drug marketing in the UK is delegated by the medicines and medical device regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to the industry trade group, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), and its self-regulatory body, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA).7 The PMCPA’s jurisdiction is accepted by virtually all drug companies operating in the UK, including about…
Read Original Article: Unethical pharmaceutical marketing: a common problem requiring collective responsibility »