Healthy Skepticism Library item: 14434

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Publication type: news

Drug makers spend up on doctors' dinners
The Age 2008 Sep 26
http://news.theage.com.au/national/drug-makers-spend-up-on-doctors-dinners-20080926-4oph.html

Full text:

Drug companies shelled out $63 million in the past year on “educational events” for Australian doctors, according to a new report showing the controversial outlays have continued to grow.

Pharmaceutical giants spent $32 million on 15,863 events in the first six months of this year, including $18 million on hotels, dinners and travel for specialists, according to the latest report from Medicines Australia, the drug industry’s peak body.

The figure was an increase from $31 million spent on 14,633 events detailed in the industry’s report covering the preceding six months.

The industry was ordered to disclose spending on doctors’ seminars and the like to improve transparency under a code of conduct imposed last year by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The latest report shows the firm Merck Sharp and Dohme spent almost $462,000 on a two-day Melbourne event for 150 cardiologists, of which $213,000 was accounted for as hospitality.

Drug promotion opponents said the consistently high number of sponsored events was “extraordinary” and a sad reflection on the Australian medical profession.

But Medicines Australia chief executive Ian Chalmers said the news was good, because 99.9 per cent of the events complied with the industry’s code of conduct.

“That is a pretty good record, but we want to get to 100 per cent, so any breaches of the code won’t be tolerated,” Mr Chalmers said.

He said contact between companies and doctors was an important means of keeping prescribers up to date with new developments in medicines.

“Pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to patients to ensure doctors have the latest information about prescription medicines,” Mr Chalmers said.

But Ray Moynihan, a Melbourne-based anti-drug promotion campaigner, said the events were “blatant drug promotion to boost sales with wining and dining”.

Mr Moynihan said the companies could not be blamed for holding the events, as they had to meet the expectations of their shareholders.

“It reflects worst on the Australian medical profession and the sad fact that so many doctors are still fronting up to get these free meals,” he said.

He called for more Australian debate on international moves towards a five-year phase-out of all industry funding of education sessions for doctors.

“In the meantime, a very simple reform would be to take away the accreditation for any industry-funded event, so there would be less motivation for doctors to sign up for them,” Mr Moynihan said.

The report shows there were more than 750,000 attendances at about 30,000 events in the year ended in June, with 73 investigated for a possible breach of the code of conduct.

At least 10 events cost drug companies more than $200,000.