Health Monitor Network

PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals

 

Prohibition of Non-Educational and Practice-Related Items
Providing items for healthcare professionals’ use that do not advance disease or treatment education — even if they are practice-related items of minimal value (such as pens, note pads, mugs and similar “reminder” items with company or product logos) — may foster misperceptions that company interactions with healthcare professionals are not based on informing them about medical and scientific issues. Such non-educational items should not be offered to healthcare professionals or members of their staff, even if they are accompanied by patient or physician educational materials.

 

Items intended for the personal benefit of healthcare professionals (such as floral arrangements, artwork, music CDs, or tickets to a sporting event) likewise should not be offered.

 

Payments in cash or cash equivalents (such as gift certificates) should not be offered to healthcare professionals either directly or indirectly, except as compensation for bona fide services (as described in Sections 6 and 7). Cash or equivalent payments of any kind create a potential appearance of impropriety or conflict of interest.

 

It is appropriate to provide product samples for patient use in accordance with the Prescription Drug Marketing Act.

 

Educational Items
It is appropriate for companies, where permitted by law, to offer items designed primarily for the education of patients or healthcare professionals if the items are not of substantial value ($100 or less) and do not have value to healthcare professionals outside of their professional responsibilities.

 

For the full PhRMA marketing code, visit the PhRMA site at:
http://www.phrma.org/files/PhRMA%20Marketing%20Code%202008.pdf