Australian pharma industry embraces tougher Code of Conduct

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this week said that it has decided to grant authorization for five years to pharmaceutical trade group Medicines Australia's 16th edition of its Code of Conduct. The Code sets standards for the marketing and promotion of prescription medicinal products in Australia.

The Code provides, among other things, a standard to address potential conflicts of interest from unrestricted relationships between pharmaceutical companies and health care professionals, which may harm consumers, for example through inappropriate prescribing by health care professionals.

The Code prohibits pharmaceutical companies from providing entertainment and extravagant hospitality to health care professionals, with the requirement that all benefits provided by companies successfully withstand public and professional scrutiny.

Areas in which provisions of the Code have been strengthened are: