First step for a change in the rules on information related to prescription medicines. Indeed, yesterday the EU Parliament approved by a large majority two legislative resolutions - one on the regulation on aspects at Community level and one on the directive on the rules to be applied at national level - which aim to guarantee "objective and impartial" information. The MEPs are also calling for a ban on the transmission of unsolicited information and surreptitious advertising (advertising is banned in the EU for prescription medicines). Now these proposals will end up on the table of the competent ministers. To implement the request, MEPs call for clarification of the obligations of pharmaceutical companies with regard to information, as well as the role of member states in supervising it. Swedish People's MEP Christofer Fjellner said today the rapporteur for the two resolutions: «The most important thing we did was to change the scope of legislation from the rights of pharmaceutical companies to disseminate information to those of patients to receive information which they need".
DoctorNews – November 26, 2010
