ABPI Code of Conduct "too restrictive" claim

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's Code of Practice, which is administered by the independent Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, is so strict that it may be harming legitimate contacts between the drug industry and patient groups.

Several patient groups contacted by the Marketletter privately expressed concerns about the unintended consequences of a rule (20.3), which is intended to prevent their exploitation for marketing purposes by drugmakers. One of them claimed that the legal costs of complying with the ABPI are becoming too high to justify maintaining a financial relationship with drug firms.

In order to deal with this issue, the Wessex Pharmaceutical Group, a regional organization representing six UK-based drugmakers, including the subsidiaries of foreign companies, has issued a document titled: Guiding Principles for Joint Working. The WPG includes some ABPI members but also firms that are not affiliated to the UK's national trade association. A spokeswoman for the WPG described the purpose of the guidance document as to develop "good practice policy for working with patient associations. It also aims to address concerns, which have been raised by some parties, over the nature and purpose of the health care industry in working with patient groups."