Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19922

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Magazine

Limprecht E
Bayer matching up GPs, patients
Australian Doctor 2005 Oct 26
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/bayer-matching-up-gps,-patients

Full text:

One of Australia’s biggest drug companies is effectively matching up individual patients with specific doctors as part of a controversial new marketing strategy.

More than 1000 GPs have allowed their details to be listed on an educational web site, which targets patients with erectile dysfunction and is run by Bayer, the makers of Levitra. Patients identify the doctor they want to visit via the web site and Bayer then sends an information pack, including the patient’s name and contact details, direct to the GP.

The company follows this up with an SMS reminding patients to keep the appointment, at which the doctor is expected to pass on the Bayer information pack.

The campaign, believed to be one of the first in Australia to link individual patients and doctors, has raised ethical concerns, after a complaint by Sydney GP

Dr Paul Fitzgerald to the drug industry’s regulator, Medicines Australia.

Last week

Australian Doctor

obtained the yet-to-be published ruling by Medicines Australia’s independent code of conduct committee, which found that the campaign “raised a possible conflict between the duty of care to a patient and engagement in promotion on behalf of a company” — an issue it said should be raised with the AMA ethical standards committee.

“Further, Bayer did not inform doctors of the potential ethical implications of this program and possible medicolegal issues, including that there may be an implication that the identified doctors [listed on the web site] supported the marketing of Bayer’s product … and that Bayer was promoting certain doctors to members of the public,” the report said.

The committee ruled that the web site should be taken down pending an appeal by Bayer, which has not yet been heard.

Bayer managing director Mr Derrill Paldiwar said: “The site is set up to facilitate patient visits to physicians about a sensitive topic. We think this has life-saving implications,” he said. “The erectile dysfunction information is delivered … because the doctor is aware of how severe the underlying issues are. Our intent was to facilitate communication between the doctor and the patient.”

GPs listed on the site have mixed views about the Medicines Australia ruling.

Sydney GP Dr Edward Butterworth said he had “no objection” to being on the register and did not agree with Medicines Australia’s stance on the campaign.

But Dr Paul Nisselle, senior adviser in risk management for the Medical Defence Association of Victoria, said:

“It is one thing to go into an AMA directory or the Yellow Pages, but it is quite another to have your name listed on a pharmaceutical company web site.

“It is not necessary that there is intent on the part of the doctor to be pushing the drug, there could be perceived intent.”

What GPs are offered:

Bayer sent letters to all practising GPs in Australia, entitled “everything you and your patients require regarding Levitra in the one package”.

It invited GPs to register on its publicly available erectile dysfunction web site as having “an interest in men’s health”.

The letter clearly states that doctors will be sent a pack from Bayer to give to the patient at their appointment.

According to Bayer, more than 1000 GPs have signed up to the scheme.