Report of the bill n.398

Honorable Senators. – This bill reproduces in full the text of the bill «New regulation of pharmaceutical scientific information activities and establishment of the register of drug sales reps» as approved by the Senate of the Republic, during the XIII legislature, on 25 January 2001 (Senate act n. 478).

The bill takes into account the provisions on the subject contained in the legislative decree of 30 December 1992, n. 541, which implement directive 92/28/EEC on the advertising of medicines for human use. This bill does not overlap with this decree, regulating aspects not considered by it or providing for appropriate additions to aspects regulated only on a general level.
Considering the importance and delicacy of scientific information on drugs, the bill aims to outline the figure, role and duties of the "scientific drug rep", the legal nature of the relationship between the pharmaceutical industries and the rep and the professional profile of those employed in the sector.
The draft law, in article 2, defines the role of the drug scientific representative as the one who "brings the scientific information on drugs to the attention of healthcare professionals and ensures its periodic updating".
Article 3 provides for the use, by pharmaceutical industries, of drug sales reps, who are required to respect the professional secrecy of the information provided to them by the companies.
The following articles, from 4 to 17, govern the constitution of the colleges of drug sales representatives and the National Council of the colleges of the aforementioned sales representatives, the electoral procedures and the requisites required for enrollment in the professional register.
Articles 18 to 23 govern the disciplinary sanctions and the procedures for keeping the register.
Therefore, in order to give legal form to this new figure of the drug sales representative as soon as possible, it is considered appropriate to present the bill in question pursuant to article 81 of the Senate Regulation.