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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 condition is now included in the 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.
With the implementation of Edition 16 of the Code, the reporting period for educational events are April to September and October to March each year. To transition to this revised schedule, Medicines Australia is publishing a three month report for 1 January to 31 March 2010. Medicines Australia will publish similar reports every six months. Reports for the preceding six months are available from here
Non-members of Medicines Australia are 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 $300,000.
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 $929 million on research and development in 2007/08. 2
- In the 12 months to December 2009, medicinal and pharmaceuticals worth over $ 4 billion were exported from Australia, making Pharmaceuticals the largest hi-technology Australian export. 3
- The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme paid $7.65 Billion in benefits for listed medicines in 2008/09. 4
- The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended 146 items for listing on the PBS in 2008/09 and 54 items for listing on the PBS in 2007/08. 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 ABS 2009, catalogue 8104.0 - Research and Experimental Development, Businesses, Australia 2007-08
- 3 ABS 2010, catalogue 5368, International trade in goods and services, Australia, January 2010
- 4 Department of Health and Ageing 2009, Expenditure and prescriptions twelve months to 30 June 2009.
- 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 2008, Health Workforce, Australia’s Health 2008, Pg435, Table 8.21
Company Reports Summary
| Company reports summary 1 January - 31 March 2010 | |
| Number of reports | 36 |
| Number of events | 5,587 |
| Number of attendees | 148,201 |
| Education Hours | 10,971 |
| Hospitality cost | $6,096,000.29 |
| Average cost of hospitality per head | $41.13 |
| Total cost of events | $12,952,589.15 |
| Average cost of event per head | $87.40 |
More information