Polarised MA Code opinion
August 1, 2014
VIEWS are mixed in the
submissions to the Australian
Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) on the
proposed 18th Medicine Australia’s
(MA) Code of Conduct.
Following a submission from
industry academic Dr Ken Harvey
highlighting MA’s failure to deliver
on key principles agreed to by
Medicines Australia Transparency
Working Group (PD 28 Jul), the
Australian Medical Association
(AMA), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
and Merck Sharp and Dohme
(MSD) have written supportive
submissions, but others are not so
sure.
MSD’s submission stated that
the most significant change in
the 18th Code proposal focused
on increasing transparency and
disclosure and is aligned with EU
recommendations in the European
Federation of Pharmaceutical
Industries and Associations (EFPIA)
Model, an ‘activity-based’ rather
than ‘monetary limit’ US Sunshine
model approach to disclosure and
reporting.
The AMA also identified the
merits of the EFPIA model,
saying it was a realistic and
commonsense approach given that
the new requirements were largely
philosophically based, lacking
evidence that there would be an
impact positive or negative on
healthcare systems or decisions.
GSK said that the new proposal
struck the right balance in terms of
delivering greater transparency of
healthcare professional interactions
while taking into account
autonomy, privacy issues, the value
of educational opportunities while
avoiding unintended consequences
of more resource-intensive
transparency models.
Strongly opposing the proposal,
Emeritus Professor Alastair
MacLennan submitted to the
ACCC that “self-regulation by the
pharmaceutical and alternative
health industries and opt-out
clauses allow continuing biased
lobbying, and unethical practices.”
Others submitting including Prof
Marcello Costa, Dr Mary Osborn,
Dr Rob McEvoy and Dr Geoff
Smith, separately but similarly
expressing strong reservations
about transparency declaration
exemptions such as some
hospitality, airport transfers, taxis
and research funding.
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