Medicines Australia recognises and supports positive and beneficial relationships between industry and health consumer organisations.
Monday 7 June 2021: As the custodians of their medicines, Medicines Australia Member Companies conduct themselves ethically and appropriately. They communicate relevant information to those relying on our medicines, including patients, their carers and families, healthcare professionals and the broader community.
Companies may enter into relationships with health consumer organisations with the objective of enhancing the quality use of medicines and supporting better health outcomes for the Australian community.
Our well established Code of Conduct sets out the ethical principles through which industry may form these relationships. They are built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect. Medicines Australia also partnered with the Consumers Health Forum of Australia to develop the Working Together Guide, a companion tool that sets shared expectations for successful and ethical relationships. Medicines Australia is also a foundation signatory to the Australian Ethical Health Alliance’s consensus framework to encourage ethical collaboration in the healthcare sector.
HCOs are not-for-profit organisations, which can vary in size from small volunteer groups to large organisations. They generally promote views that are independent of government, the pharmaceutical industry and professional health service providers.
We are committed to supporting these organisations and partner proudly with them to successfully deliver outcomes of specific projects.
Many of our partnerships with HCOs focus on the Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) which aims to improve the health outcomes Australians by:
- Selecting management options wisely
- Choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary
- Using medicines safely and effectively
QUM is one of the four central objectives of Australia’s National Medicines Policy, which aims to meet medication and related service needs, so that optimal health outcomes and economic objectives are achieved. The National Medicines Policy can be found at National Medicines Policy.
Further information about relationships with HCOs can be found in the Working Together Guide: A Guide to relationships between Health Consumer Organisations and Pharmaceutical Companies. The Guide can be downloaded from the Medicines Australia and the Consumers’ Health Forum of Australia websites.
The Guide was developed jointly with the Consumers’ Health Forum of Australia, the national peak organisation for consumers, and Medicines Australia, the national association representing the innovative pharmaceutical industry.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jasmeet Kaur
Head of Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
Medicines Australia
+61 452 303 565