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Thursday, May 5th, 2005
A public consultation on the review of the Association of the British
Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical
Industry has received a strong response.
Some 21 professional bodies, patient advocacy groups, healthcare
campaigning organisations and private individuals took part in the
process by sharing their views on a range of issues. These included:
- the effectiveness of the code, including complaints, sanctions
and procedures.
- the code's relevance to the current NHS.
- how the code might be updated/improved.
- awareness and use of the code by the NHS, public and industry.
- The quality of promotional activity by the pharmaceutical industry
The ABPI Code of Practice covers pharmaceutical company promotion
of prescription medicines to UK healthcare professionals in the
UK and the provision of information to the public. It aims to safeguard
the interests of patients and to ensure a responsible and ethical
approach to such activities. Established in 1958 the Code is frequently
updated. The last review in 2002 resulted in the current 2003 edition
of the code. In addition, there are periodical full reviews - the
current is the first since 1993.
The consultation submissions will be analysed by the review team
over the next few weeks and the full review process is expected
to reach completion by the end of 2005.
Click here to view
Summary of Consultation
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