Promotion of Medicines and Medical Devices

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PDF printable version of Promotion of Medicines and Medical Devices (PDF 17 KB)

30 June 2010

The Australian Government today released a proposal for stronger self-regulation by the pharmaceutical and therapeutic goods industries for promotion of their products to doctors and health professionals.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mark Butler issued a position paper for comment, which calls on all parts of the therapeutic goods industry to work together to develop high-level principles as the basis for their codes of conduct.

The stronger standards would apply to promotion of medicines and medical technology to health professionals. It would work to strengthen codes which are in place or being developed by various industry associations.

“Doctors and other health professionals should prescribe drugs or medical devices because of the benefit to their patients, not because they could receive an incentive or a gift,” Mr Butler said.

“If the industry cannot provide the tough self-regulation that consumers deserve, the Gillard Government will have to bring in legislation. Fortunately, there is broad acceptance by industry of the need to reform the existing self-regulatory arrangements.”

"Our position paper gives the therapeutic goods industry an opportunity to adopt an industry-wide approach with the highest ethical benchmarks, to eliminate the problem of improper incentives,” Mr Butler said.

Mr Butler also announced the release of a consultation paper on possible ways to improve the current arrangements for advertising of therapeutic goods. Options being considered include simplifying current arrangements, increasing transparency, and providing more effective sanctions for those who breach the advertising requirements.

“I encourage members of the industry and the public to take this opportunity to consider the options set out in the paper and provide their feedback on how to improve therapeutic goods advertising,” Mr Butler said.

The consultation paper on advertising will be open for comment from today until Friday 27 August and is available on the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s website at www.tga.gov.au. The position paper on promotional activities will be released for comment for four weeks until July 30.

Media contact: Samantha Regione, 0418 112 688