Guild pro GMiA code change
August 25, 2010
THE Pharmacy Guild says it’s in
favour of the ACCC proposal to
extend the Generic Medicines
Industry Association Code of
Conduct to include reporting of
pharmacist incentives for sale of
generic medicines.
In a submission to the ACCC
following the commission’s draft
approval of the code (PD 04 Aug),
Guild executive director Wendy
Phillips said the Guild understands
and supports the condition which
requires “high level disclosure of
the value of non-price incentives
offered to pharmacists by GMiA
companies.”
She noted that this information,
along with commercial trading
terms data, is already reported to
government as part of the price
disclosure requirements of the PBS
reforms.
The Guild has also come out in
favour of the other major ACCC
condition for authorisation - the
extension of education event
reporting requirements to all health
professionals including pharmacists.
Phillips said the Guild
“understands and supports this
extension to the code,” but pointed
out that “in the case of community
pharmacy, these education events
are limited in their scope and
content”.
In its submission to the ACCC the
Guild also welcomed Parliamentary
Mark Butler’s proposal for stronger
self-regulation by the
pharmaceutical and therapeutic
goods industries for promotion of
their products to doctors and other
health professionals, and in
particular his call for greater
consistency in the codes of conduct.
MEANWHILE Medicines Australia
has also made a submission after
the draft determination, supporting
the condition requiring reporting of
benefits to pharmacists including
hospitality, entertainment, gifts,
non-price incentives and loyalty
rewards programs.
However MA also said it would
prefer that such incentives were
specifically prohibited under the
GMiA code, adding that it was
concerned that financial sanctions
for inappropriate behaviour under
the code were not sufficient.
Medicines Australia said the
GMiA fines should be comparable
to those under its code.
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