Drug Promotion And Dealing With The ‘Reps’

Neena Lakhani

Introduction

• Drug Promotion

• NHS Standards

• ABPI Code of Practice

• Company Representatives

• The ‘meeting’

• Evaluating Product Information

Drug promotion by pharmaceutical companies

• Journal advertisements

• Mailings

• Sponsored meetings

• Gifts

• Direct-to-consumer advertising

• Company representative visits

NHS Standards

Commercial Sponsorship – Ethical Standards for the NHS (Nov 2000)

• who is the guidance aimed at?• sponsorship, inducements and hospitality• research and development• potential conflict of interest

Advertising Regulation

Advertising is controlled by both:

• Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - Statutory (legal)

• Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) - Self-regulation

ABPI Code of Practice

• Applies to 80 UK pharmaceutical companies

• Covers all areas of promotion by the pharmaceutical industry

• Not legally binding

Code for Representatives

• ABPI Code of Practice - covers oral information, as well as written

• Must be adequately trained• Must not give misleading information• Must not offer inducement to gain

interview• Must not cause inconvenience• Provision of hospitality

Guidance for Representatives

Local policies may exist relating to:

• Appointment system for meeting clinicians

• Leaving samples of medicines

• Sponsorship of educational meetings

• Frequency of meetings

Why see reps?

• Freebies!

• Gather (and give) current and new information

• Sell company products

• Inform and educate professionals

Is the information credible?

• Can be misleading

• Promotes non-rational prescribing

• Decreases generic prescribing

• Increases awareness of new drugs but without the evidence

• Increases prescribing costs

Some useful facts

• Oral presentations

• Written literature

‘The meeting’

• What’s in it for me?

• Be selective

• By appointment with time limits

• Be in control

• Prepare standard questions

• Beware of bold statements & ‘glossys’

Your 5 Questions1. What evidence/studies back up the claimed

benefit/effect of the drug being promoted?

2. Is the study design valid?

3. Is the result statistically significant?

4. What are the Absolute Risk Reduction (ARR) and the Number Needed to Treat (NNT) to avoid one event over a certain time period?

5. Are the graphs telling the truth?

If NO: do you want to continue?

Points to consider:

S Safety

T Tolerability

E Effectiveness

P Price

One STEP better?

The way forward

• A policy for seeing reps– ? No free lunches?

• Education meetings with different peer groups• Challenge different reps promoting similar

products• Restrict sponsored events• Brush up on critical appraisal skills• Use PCT prescribing advisors for unbiased,

evidence based information and educational outreach

On line activity

Source the following article

Evans, J. Establishing Rules of the

Road for Pharmaceutical Representatives Fam Pract Manag. 2005 Mar;12(3):10-12.

Join the Forum during the next week to discuss and reflect in issues raised the General Practitioner in the article

References

• Department of Health (2000). Commercial sponsorship – ethical standards for the NHS. http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4076078.pdf (accessed July 2011)

• Evans, J. Establishing Rules of the Road for Pharmaceutical Representatives Fam Pract Manag. 2005 Mar;12(3):10-12.

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