No more pharmaceutical promotional gifts?

No more pharmaceutical promotional gifts?

With the research completed, the doors appear to be closing on those suppliers of promotional merchandise to the pharmaceutical industry in the UK. The recently published proposals to amend the ABPI Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry 2008' by The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) appears to put an end to promotional merchandise being used in the pharmaceutical industry.

This summarises to core of the changes:

Appendix 2 Clause 18 Items for Patients, Promotional Aids, the Provision of Medical and Educational Goods and Services, Agreements to Benefit Patients such as Joint Working, Outcome Agreements and Patient Access Schemes

18.1 No gift, benefit in kind or pecuniary advantage shall be offered or given to members of the health professions or to administrative staff as an inducement to prescribe, supply, administer, recommend, buy or sell any medicine, subject to the provisions of Clauses 18.2 and 18.3

18.2 Health professionals may be provided with items which are to be passed on to patients and which are part of a formal patient support programme, the details of which have been appropriately documented and certified in advance as required by Clause 14.3. The items provided must be inexpensive and directly benefit patient care. They may bear the name of the company providing them. They must not be given out from exhibition stands. They must not be given to administrative staff unless they are to be passed on to a health professional.

18.3 Health professionals and appropriate administrative staff attending scientific meetings and conferences, promotional meetings and other such meetings may be provided with inexpensive notebooks, promotional pens and pencils for use at such meetings. They must not bear the name of any medicine or any information about medicines but may bear the name of the company providing them.

In summary, from 1st January 2011, operators in the pharmaceutical industry will no longer provide branded promotional items to healthcare professionals except for what are deemed to be inexpensive items that can be distributed and used by patients as part of a formal patient support programme.

The aim is obvious and has strong arguments in favour of it - to increase transparency of working practices between the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals and help break down barriers to trust. The promotional merchandise industry (and some would argue surprise surprise!') is naturally against it.

Whilst not unexpected (the same ruling is already in place in the USA) many feel it shows a complete lack of understanding of what promotional products bring to the natural marketing mix and question whether it will have any real impact on increasing transparency and trust. Broadly speaking, has the net been cast too wide to tackle a perceived problem?

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