Pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations globally regard meetings as an essential means of communicating evolving scientific research, clinical development and medical education. However the planning, organisation and execution of pharma meetings must comply with the relevant regulatory and country-specific legal guidelines to ensure that events, venues, promotions and hospitality are not inappropriately used to induce healthcare professionals to prescribe certain pharmaceutical products.
In the UK, Clause 19 of the ABPI (Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry) Code of Practice 2008 specifically focuses on regulations covering ‘Meetings and Hospitality’ between the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals.
Other regulations, such as EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) pertain to member companies across Europe, and IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations) applies worldwide. Members companies must comply with the applicable national codes of member associations where such codes exist.
In countries where there are no local codes or regulations, or where a member company is not affiliated with a local/regional association, the IFPMA Code 2006 acts as a default standard and its operating procedures apply. Some national regulatory guidelines are legally binding, but in most cases the industry is self-regulatory, with pharma companies agreeing to abide by the guidelines and taking them very seriously.
Each pharma company has its own meetings and hospitality policy, which in some cases is more stringent than the local guidelines, so it is always best to check the company’s internal policies and procedures for approval before making your booking.
Pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations globally regard meetings as an essential means of communicating evolving scientific research, clinical development and medical education. However the planning, organisation and execution of pharma meetings must comply with the relevant regulatory and country-specific legal guidelines to ensure that events, venues, promotions and hospitality are not inappropriately used to induce healthcare professionals to prescribe certain pharmaceutical products.
In the UK, Clause 19 of the ABPI (Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry) Code of Practice 2008 specifically focuses on regulations covering ‘Meetings and Hospitality’ between the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals.
Other regulations, such as EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) pertain to member companies across Europe, and IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations) applies worldwide. Members companies must comply with the applicable national codes of member associations where such codes exist.
In countries where there are no local codes or regulations, or where a member company is not affiliated with a local/regional association, the IFPMA Code 2006 acts as a default standard and its operating procedures apply. Some national regulatory guidelines are legally binding, but in most cases the industry is self-regulatory, with pharma companies agreeing to abide by the guidelines and taking them very seriously.
Each pharma company has its own meetings and hospitality policy, which in some cases is more stringent than the local guidelines, so it is always best to check the company’s internal policies and procedures for approval before making your booking.