MA submits 18th Code
July 3, 2014
Medicines Australia yesterday
applied for authorisation of the
18th Edition of its Code of Conduct
to the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Edition 18 was adopted
unanimously by MA members on
17 June, with the organisation
saying it will “enhance greatly the
existing public benefits that flow
from the Code.”
The new version introduces a
new transparency regime which
requires member companies to
report on “certain transfers of
value made to individual healthcare
professionals,” identifying those
doctors, nurse practitioners or
pharmacists by name.
Specific limits on the value of
hospitality are also set, while the
code also states that no company
may access or obtain data from
dispensary software without
the “informed agreement of the
responsible registered pharmacist.”
“Medicines Australia’s member
companies are taking the lead
in setting new standards of
transparency in Australia’s health
sector with this new Code,”
outgoing Medicines Australia chief
executive, Dr Brendan Shaw, said.
The new code will come into
effect from January 2015, with the
new transparency reporting regime
effective from October 2015, if
ratified by the ACCC.
Shaw said that interactions
between healthcare professionals
and pharmaceutical companies are
essential for ensuring that patients
have the best care, ensuring that
healthcare professionals have
up to date and comprehensive
information about medical
developments.
“This new Code sets new
standards in the transparency
in these interactions which is
unprecedented in the Australian
health sector,” he said.
“Medicines Australia looks
forward to other industry sectors
following this lead towards greater
transparency,” Shaw concluded.
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