Medicines Australia - waiter, the bill please

The Australian Big Pharma trade association Medicines Australia has been required by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to publish detailed reports from all of its members who provided or sponsored such educational events. This requirement was a condition of the ACCC in authorising the latest edition of the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct.

They say (through gritted teeth, no doubt):

By publishing this information, Medicines Australia is enabling the public to better understand the nature of medical education events provided or sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, and the important role they play in the health system.

LOL

These company reports cover educational events from 1 July to 31 December 2007. Medicines Australia will publish similar reports every six months.

Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Company reports include all educational meetings and symposia held or sponsored by that pharmaceutical company.

Congress – these are extended educational meetings usually organised by a medical society or college, university or other non-pharmaceutical company entity.

Symposium – is a meeting between a number of experts in a particular field at which papers are presented by specialists on particular subjects and discussed. Symposia may be organised by a pharmaceutical company as a separate educational event or as a satellite to another congress or conference.

Satellite – meetings held in conjunction with international or Australasian congresses, under the auspice of a non-company entity.

Grand Rounds – a formal meeting at which physicians discuss the clinical case of one or more patients. Grand rounds originated as part of residency training wherein new information was taught and clinical reasoning skills were enhanced. Grand rounds today are an integral component of medical education.

Journal Club - a group of individuals (usually within a hospital setting) who meet regularly to critically evaluate recent articles in scientific literature.

In-service – a set of lectures, tutorials or other formalised teaching within the hospital setting.
Company event - an educational event organised by a pharmaceutical company for healthcare professionals.

Then there are "Meetings Conferences and Seminars".

And here's how to lodge a complaint!

Insider's view: very interesting. I'm sure there is a nice little research project in analysing this data.

Let's say we take out all the "breakfast muffin" type meetings and then look at the big money events, for a start!