The Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Code of Conduct1 provides guidelines for the ethical marketing and promotion of prescription pharmaceutical products in Australia. It complements the legal requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Regulations and the Therapeutic Goods AdministrationCompliance with the Code is a condition of APMA membership, and the Association's members represent more than 90% of pharmaceutical companies. The Code, established in 1960, is regularly revised.
The Code has two arms, a complaint driven mechanism and a monitoring function. Two independent committees are responsible for these functions. The Code of Conduct Committee considers complaints to determine whether a breach of the Code has occurred, and if so, the appropriate sanction that should be imposed. The most severe sanction is expulsion from the APMA, but this has never been used.2 Pharmaceutical companies can appeal against the decision of the Committee.
The Committee comprises representatives from industry and organisations such as the Consumers' Health Forum, a patient support organisation, the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Medical Association.
The independent Monitoring Committee reviewed over 380 pieces of promotional material during the year for products in the systemic anti-infectives and antihypertensive therapeutic classes. Compliance with the Code of Conduct ranged from 82% to 95%. Advice regarding the outcomes of the Committee's deliberations was provided to the relevant companies to enhance their compliance with the Code.
