UK DoH: Why ABPI Talks Should Remain Secret

5 December 1994

A great deal of information about the safety of medicines is already available to the UK public, and the new centralized European licensing system provides more, says the UK Department of Health, but further steps must be considered with the DoH's European partners. "It is no good getting out of line with other countries," a DoH spokesman has told the Marketletter. "this would result in inconsistencies and undermine the UK's trading position."

The spokesman was commenting on the report of the UK Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (ombudsman), which has revealed that, under the direction of the ombudsman, William reid, DoH officials had been forced to reveal details of meetings with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry which they had intended to remain confidential (Marketletter November 28).

A representative of the Campaign for Freedom of Information had complained to Mr Reid that the DoH had refused to give him information on discussions about a proposed industry code of practice on the provision of pharmaceutical data, which, it had been announced in Parliament, were underway between the DoH and the ABPI. At first the DoH disclosed no more than had been said in Parliament, but after the ombudsman's intervention, it revealed certain other details but maintained that the release of more information would breach the Code of practice on Access to Government Information, which came into force on April 4, 1994.

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