EFPIA adopts new Europe-wide code of practice

EFPIA, the European pharmaceutical industry association, has adopted a Europe-wide code of practice on the relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and patient organisations.

This initiative demonstrates the industry's resolve to tighten up ethical standards and enhance transparency through self-regulation. EFPIA has a direct membership of 32 national associations and 44 leading pharmaceutical companies.

The code sets out standards in the fields of transparency, the use of written agreements, non-promotion, diversified funding of patient organisations, use of patient group logos, editorial control and appropriate hospitality.

It will be effective across Europe as of 1 July 2008, and requires that, by the end of March 2009, the names of patient organisations supported by pharmaceutical companies will be made publicly available once a year. It will also apply to the members of EFPIA' s specialised groups: European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises and European Vaccine Manufacturers.

Each EFPIA member association will establish national procedures and structures to receive and process complaints and impose sanctions. Non-industry stakeholders will be involved in the enforcement process.

"All the pharmaceutical companies EFPIA represents directly and indirectly will have to comply with a set of fundamental rules. Failure to comply will be sanctioned," said Arthur J. Higgins, president of EFPIA and ceo of Bayer HealthCare.

In the UK the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has already announced that its ABPI Code of Practice is to be revised. The ABPI code, which sets out rules to govern the behaviour of UK-based pharmaceutical companies and their employees, is required to include all the provisions of the code administered by EFPIA.

Most of the provisions of the new EFPIA code are already requirements under the ABPI code but some will need to be incorporated. Examples include a new requirement on companies to include a short description of the nature of the support provided to patient organisations. As well as financial backing, indirect, non-financial support will also need to be declared.

"Our code is one of the most rigorous in the world, and is reviewed every two to three years to ensure that it remains fit for purpose," said ABPI president Nigel Brooksby. "As well as taking on board the comparatively small number of changes that the new European patient code makes necessary, we shall be looking at including any suggested alterations identified during the life of the current code."