Press conference to launch the Working Party Report: Patients, physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, and the NHS
Date and Time: Wednesday 4th February (10:00-12:01)
Venue Details : Osnaburgh Suite A,
The Melia White House Hotel
Regents Park
Albany Street
London NW1 3UP
Getting to the Hotel:
The nearest underground stations are respectively, Great Portland Street, Regents Park and Warren Street. If you have any difficulties finding the venue, please contact a member of staff in the RCP Press Office on 07896 416409.
Date and Time: Wednesday 4th February (10:00-12:01)
Venue Details : Osnaburgh Suite A,
The Melia White House Hotel
Regents Park
Albany Street
London NW1 3UP
Getting to the Hotel:
The nearest underground stations are respectively, Great Portland Street, Regents Park and Warren Street. If you have any difficulties finding the venue, please contact a member of staff in the RCP Press Office on 07896 416409.
Looks like the report might have been leaked to the BBC today:
Medical experts are calling for drug industry representatives to stop giving gifts to doctors, the BBC has learned.
The report was created by a working party led by the Royal College of Physicians and including members of leading pharmaceutical companies.
The report says the measure would do much to rebalance the relationship between medicine and industry.
The UK regulator, the GMC, says gifts must not be accepted which could be seen to affect clinicians' judgement.
The industry's current code of practice allows drug companies to give small promotional gifts that are relevant to doctors' work, such as pens or surgical gloves.
Firms can also hold educational meetings, while paying delegates' travel and accommodation.
The working party spent more than a year taking evidence about the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry - and how this affects NHS patients.
It was led by the Royal College of Physicians.
The report will be published in full on Wednesday, but one of the most eye-catching recommendations is that the culture of doctors receiving gifts and hospitality from drug companies should end.
'Not valued'
The experts said: "It is partly because the NHS fails to value doctors, while the pharmaceutical industry is good at expressing this value, that practitioners turn to industry and become dependent on its gift culture.
"Acting on this single recommendation alone would do much to rebalance the relationship between medicine and industry to one based on equality and mutual respect, with improved patient outcomes as the overriding objective of that relationship."
Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association's medical ethics committee, said: "Treatment decisions should of course always be made on the basis of patients' individual needs.
"Although it is important for doctors to receive information about new treatments, they must never be, or seen to be, influenced by the offer of any gift or promotional incentive."
Dr Carol Cooper told the BBC that doctors were professionals and unlikely to be unduly influenced by the drug companies.
The GP said: "There are quite strict rules not just about hospitality but about gifts.
"Doctors are busy professionals and we're also quite well educated and I don't think our judgment is likely to be swayed by being given a pen, a pad, a post-it note or a calendar with someone's name on it."
Insider watched the TV report on Sunday morning: Dr Cooper actually mentioned one drug company's pens by name: Pfizer.
Hmmm!
Let's look at who's on the RCP working party:
Here's the committee:
Dr Susan Bews President, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, Mr Derek Calam RCP Patient and Carer network, Dr Stuart Dollow, Vice President and Medical DirectorGlaxoSmithKline UK Pharma, Dr Ahmed Elsharkawy SpR, gastroenterology and PhD researcher, Dr David Gillen Medical Director, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Professor Ian Gilmore President, RCP, Dr Felicity Harvey Head of Medicines, Pharmacy and Industry Group Department of Health, Dr Iona Heath General Practitioner, *Dr Richard Horton Editor in Chief, The Lancet, Dr Kate Lloyd Immediate past Medical Director, Pfizer, Dr Hugo Mascie Taylor Medical Director, St James’ Hospital, Leeds, Mr Hemant Patel President, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Professor Charles Pusey Renal Section, Division of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Mr Peter Stephens Vice President, Europe, IMS Health, Dr Richard Tiner Director of Medicine, ABPI, Dr Patrick Vallance GSK Research and Development, Dr Louise Wood Research and Development, Department of Health, Dr Susan Shepherd Secretary, RCP
(* Chair)
Dr Susan Bews President, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, Mr Derek Calam RCP Patient and Carer network, Dr Stuart Dollow, Vice President and Medical DirectorGlaxoSmithKline UK Pharma, Dr Ahmed Elsharkawy SpR, gastroenterology and PhD researcher, Dr David Gillen Medical Director, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Professor Ian Gilmore President, RCP, Dr Felicity Harvey Head of Medicines, Pharmacy and Industry Group Department of Health, Dr Iona Heath General Practitioner, *Dr Richard Horton Editor in Chief, The Lancet, Dr Kate Lloyd Immediate past Medical Director, Pfizer, Dr Hugo Mascie Taylor Medical Director, St James’ Hospital, Leeds, Mr Hemant Patel President, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Professor Charles Pusey Renal Section, Division of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Mr Peter Stephens Vice President, Europe, IMS Health, Dr Richard Tiner Director of Medicine, ABPI, Dr Patrick Vallance GSK Research and Development, Dr Louise Wood Research and Development, Department of Health, Dr Susan Shepherd Secretary, RCP
(* Chair)
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Aha!
1 comment:
Hi,
Just a note to your readers, the press conference has now moved to the Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4LE. Registration will begin at 09:30 for a 10:00AM start.
Frank Soodeen
PR and Public Affairs Officer
Royal College of Physicians
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