Prescription Medicines Code advertising

The Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry is administered by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority. The Authority is responsible for the provision of advice, guidance and training on the Code of Practice as well as for the complaints procedure. It is also responsible for arranging for conciliation between companies when requested to do so and for scrutinising journal advertising on a regular basis. Complaints made under the Code about promotional material or the promotional activities of companies are considered by the Code of Practice Panel and, where required, by the Code of Practice Appeal Board. Reports on cases are published quarterly by the Authority and are available on request. 

A sample of advertisements issued by pharmaceutical companies is scrutinised by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority in relation to the requirements of the Code on a continuing basis. 

Day-to-day control over the advertising of prescription-only medicines is provided by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), part of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). The PMCPA administers the code of conduct for pharmaceutical companies - often referred to as the ABPI code . 

Except in the United States of America and New Zealand, where direct to consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription medicines is allowed, companies are not allowed to communicate directly with patients. The Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPl) Code of Practice has been relaxed a little in this area in recent years and companies can now communicate in a very limited fashion with the general public. Clause 20.2 of the Code allows the provision of non-promotional information either in response to a direct enquiry from an individual or via press conferences, press announcements, lectures and media reports, public relations activities and the like. 

The ABPI is the trade association that represents the manufacturers of prescription medicines. Formed in 1930, it now represents some 80 companies, which produce over 80% of the medicines supplied to the National Health Service (NHS). The ABPI has had a code of practice since 1958, the Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry, which governs the promotion of medicines to health professionals, and has operated a system whereby complaints made about the advertising of prescription medicines are taken up and considered under the Code. It is a condition of membership of the ABPI to abide by the Code of Practice. In addition, some 70 companies that are not members of the ABPI have given their formal agreement to abide by the Code and to accept the jurisdiction of the PMCPA over complaints made under the Code. Thus, the Code... 

Prescription medicines may only be advertised to healthcare professionals - they may not be advertised to consumers. Advertisements of prescription medicines directed at healthcare professionals are regulated under a self-regulatory Code of Conduct administered by Medicines Australia. First published in 1960, it includes... 

The Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB) administers the PAAB Code of Advertising acceptance, which applies to both prescription-only and non-prescription medicines. Compliance with the PAAB is in theory voluntary however, it is strongly advocated by Health Canada. 

The Irish Pharmaceutical Health Authority (IPHA) code provides guidance on the advertising and promotion of prescription-only and non-prescription medicines to doctors, dentists and pharmacists, but does not deal with the promotion of such products to the general public. 

Voluntary codes of practice have been in use in many MS for many years. For example, in the United Kingdom, the ABPI Code of Practice is applicable to prescription medicines, and the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) Code of Standards of Advertising Practice for over-the-counter medicines. 

The definition of promotion under the Code is broad and is designed to encompass any activity undertaken by a pharmaceutical company or with its authority that promotes the prescription, supply, sales or administration of its medicines. Within that definition, there are a number of exclusions from the scope of the Code such as trade practices and trade advertisements. The content of data sheets and SPCs is also excluded from the scope of the Code, as they are documents... 

There is also a self-regulatory code of practice with supporting guidelines covering the promotion and advertising of prescription-only medicines, namely the Medicines Australia code of conduct. 

The Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry, Farmindustria, has issued a code of practice containing provisions for the advertisement of prescription-only medicines. This code of practice is not legally binding and applies only to members of the association. 

The Medicines Australia Code of Conduct is the self-regulatory body for the pharmaceutical companies in Australia. It has a Committee, which hears complaints relating to prescription-only medicines, and can impose sanctions on Medicines Australia members. This includes fines of up to AU200 000, corrective advertising, and suspension or expulsion of members. 

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