Volume 181 - Issue 8
The medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry: when will we open our eyes?
Author: Tim Woodruff
Med J Aust 2004; 181 (8): 458-459. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06380.x
Published online: 18 October 2004
Published online: 18 October 2004
Tim Woodruff
President, Doctors Reform Society, Suite 207, 320 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, VIC 3002 twoodruffATbigpond.com
To the Editor: It is encouraging to see the Journal continuing its tradition of taking on contentious issues in publishing articles about the negative influence of the pharmaceutical industry.1 With respect to the practical suggestions to address this issue, I suggest that reliance on our profession to substantially improve the situation, although laudable and appropriate, is too optimistic given the gross denial by our colleagues that there is an issue. Our professional bodies simply do not have the support to enforce codes of conduct. The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) has published guidelines on this issue,2 but I doubt most of its members have read them.
I fully support Breen’s comments relating to funding of educational activities, but I suggest that the pharmaceutical pseudo-educational dollar be bypassed by a major expansion in government funding.3 The provision of regularly updated, easily accessible treatment guidelines integrated into prescribing software (which most general practitioners use daily) would go a long way to decreasing our reliance on the drug dollar for information on appropriate treatment. This requires government investment and professional college cooperation, but would lead to recurrent savings to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and better treatment.
Currently, the federal government spends $21 million on drug information to doctors,4 while the drug industry spends $1 billion on marketing.5 To partially redress this imbalance would, however, require both political will and pressure from the profession.
References
- Breen KJ. The medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry: when will we open our eyes? Med J Aust 2004; 180: 409-410.
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Ethical guidelines in the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. Available at: www.racp.edu.au/public/Ethical_guide_pharm.pdf (accessed Jul 2004).
- Woodruff TG. Pharmaceutical marketing, the PBS, and patient care. New Doctor 2004; 81: 21-22 (in press). i1085588
- National Prescribing Service Limited. Annual report 2002–03, p. 32. Available at: www.nps.org.au/resources/content/nps_annual_report_02-03.pdf (accessed Jul 2004).
- Spending on drug promotion. Available at: www.healthyskepticism.org/promotion/spending.htm (accessed Jul 2004).