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Educational Event Reports
Why pharmaceutical companies provide medical education events
Pharmaceutical companies have an obligation to ensure all healthcare professionals have access to the latest information about prescription medicines.
One of the ways this information is conveyed is though educational events provided for doctors, pharmacists and nurses by pharmaceutical companies. These events can range from small meetings in surgeries to evening briefings over dinner, to a weekend conference for hundreds of healthcare professionals.
No one knows medicines as well as those who make them. That is why healthcare decisions affecting Australian patients must be informed by ethical dialogue between those who make pharmaceuticals and those who prescribe, dispense or administer them.
Why Medicines Australia is publishing this information
Medicines Australia has been required by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to publish the detail of educational events provided or sponsored by Medicines Australia member companies. This requirement was a condition of the ACCC in authorising the 15th edition of the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct.
The transparent reporting of industry-wide data represents a global precedent for the pharmaceutical industry, and one which Medicines Australia fully supports.
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.
These company reports cover educational events from 1 January to 30 June 2009. Medicines Australia will publish similar reports every six months. Report for the preceding six months are available from here.
Non-members of Medicines Australia were not required to publish the details of their educational events.
Medicines Australia Code of Conduct
All educational events sponsored or provided by Medicines Australia member companies are subject to the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct is authorised by the ACCC and is updated regularly. It sets the standard for the ethical marketing and promotion of medicines.
Under the Code, the provision of gifts to doctors is banned. Entertainment is banned. The provision of lavish hospitality is banned.
Breaching the Code of Conduct
Where a breach of the Code of Conduct is suspected, a complaint can be lodged with the Code of Conduct Committee, an independent body chaired by a trade practices lawyer.
Companies found to have breached the Code of Conduct can be fined up to $200,000.
Medicines Australia invites scrutiny of these educational events. We encourage people to lodge a complaint with the independent Code of Conduct Committee where they think company behaviour may be inappropriate.
Key industry facts
- In 2006/07 there were 14,307 people employed in medicinal and pharmaceutical product manufacturing, which had a turnover of $7.8 billion and paid $1.1 billion in wages and salaries. 1
- Australian pharmaceutical businesses invested $860 million on research and development in 2006/07. 2
- In 2007/08, pharmaceuticals worth $3.95 billion were exported from Australia. 3
- The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme paid $7008 million in benefits for listed medicines in 2007/08. 4
- The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended 54 items for listing on the PBS in 2007/08 and 67 in 2006/07. 5
- 72,200 medical practitioners, 243,300 nurses 6 , and 16,300 pharmacists were employed in Australia in 2006. 7
References for industry facts
- 1 ABS catalogue 8221, Manufacturing Industry, Australia, 2006-07.
- 2 DIISR Pharmaceutical Industry Fact Sheet.
- 3 DIISR Pharmaceutical Industry Fact Sheet.
- 4 Department of Health and Ageing, Annual Report 2007-08.
- 5 PBPA Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2008.
- 6 Nurses include medical administrators, nursing directors (n=9800), professional nursing workers (n=203,500) and enrolled nurses (n=30,000).
- 7 AIHW, Health Workforce, Australia’s Health 2008, Pg435, Table 8.21
Company Reports Summary
| Company reports summary 1 January - 30 June 2009 | |
| Number of reports | 40 |
| Number of events | 16,020 |
| Number of attendees | 399,051 |
| Education Hours | 31,007 |
| Hospitality cost | $15,650,396 |
| Average cost of hospitality per head | $39.22 |
| Total cost of events | $31,895,716 |
| Average cost of event per head | $79.93 |
More information