Beginning January 1, 2007, the handful of members of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations will need to comply with the latest effort to self-regulate pharmaceutical marketing practices. See the pharma.jpgIFPMA Code here. 

When reading the document, I was transported back to reading the PhRMA’s Code on interacting with healthcare professionals and the OIG’s Pharmaceutical Compliance Program “guidance”.  So — really there is nothing new here

—In a nutshell, you can pay or reward people or organizations for prescribing medications.  Additionally, when marketing medications, a company must stick to the scientific facts and avoid discussions of off-label uses. 

I appreciate the IFPMA’s efforts to globalize this movement of ‘compliance’ in hopes keeping those greedy pharmaceutical marketing professionals (not everyone falls into this category) from inappropriately promising efficacy they cannot deliver and to keep them from finding similar devil prescribers who are just looking to line their pockets versus really focusing on providing quality care.

I also had to laugh when I read what would happen if the guidelines were breached.

If a member company is found to be in breach of the code, the IFPMA will “publicly announce the company’s name and obtain the company’s written agreement to end the objectionable practice(s) concerned,” the organisation’s director commented in a statement.

Yea… that should work. 

Really, all snarkiness asside, given the small number of IFPMA members (who by their membership have agreed to comply), I feel this effort lacks any real potential of doing anything to further reform or keep dishonorable companies from keeping on with their business as usual.