The Efpia Code of Ethics/Farmindustria which should reveal conflicts of interest between doctors, healthcare facilities and producers risks running aground on the refusal of professionals to disclose extra fees. An AboutPharma seminar to navigate the standards
Of Aboutpharma Online editorial staff – May 28, 2015 – ABOUTPHARMA
f
acted the law, found the deception. The adoption by Farmindustria Code of ethics drawn up in January 2014 by the European federation of pharmaceutical industries and associations (Efpia) regarding the transparency of the so-called "value transfers” to professionals (Healthcare professional, Hcp) and healthcare facilities (Healthcare organization, Hco), is already colliding with the refusal by doctors to see data on their extra compensation published on company websites, received for example for studies, research and scientific communications.
In fact, the rules on privacy, at least in Italy, are stronger than the deontological ones which, in the absence of the law and on a voluntary basis, the industrial associations have given themselves. Above all, it follows that the possibility for the citizen to ascertain the existence of conflicts of interest between those who propose a drug and those who produce it risk remaining only on paper. The transparency of value transfers is precisely the theme of a seminar organized by AboutPharma and Medical Devices on 2nd July in Milan, in collaboration with
on the law firm associated with Baker & Mckenzie. Title: “Efpia – Hcp/Hco Disclosure code2014. The new challenge in terms of transparency in the healthcare sector".
The race against time has already begun. Data collection officially began on 1 January 2015 and the first information – in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 of the Farmindustria Code – must be made public in January 2016. The challenge is to help make the sector transparent and mitigate the heavy information asymmetries that exist today between those who produce, prescribe, use and pay for the drug.
The seminar is aimed primarily at corporate legal and regulatory affairs, Marketing & Sales Departments, medical departments, managers of congress and events offices and AFCs of pharmaceutical companies. During the proceedings, a discussion will take place between experts, institutions and industry, which will examine in detail the new code and its applicability criteria. The main topics covered are: transparency obligations in relations with healthcare professionals; privacy (risks, possible consequences and models to adopt); the management of relations with Hcp and Hco; the management of cross border transfers of value; the impact on business processes; employee training; the modalities of publication of the data and the impacts on the information systems.
Related news: Corruption. Observatory 190 is underway: Federsanità and Ispe united against the phenomenon
