CANADIAN MARKETING CODES - HOW WELL ARE THEY CONTROLLING PHARMACEUTICAL PROMOTION

Pharmaceutical promotion in Canada is controlled by two codes: a volun tary one developed by the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board de aling mostly with printed promotional material, and one from the Pharm aceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada covering other forms of promotion. This article looks at enforcement of the provisions of thes e codes and at areas in which they are deficient. One of the major wea knesses in both codes is their lack of effective sanctions for compani es that violate their provisions. Strong codes are necessary because m any physicians rely heavily on promotional material for their source o f prescribing information. However, voluntary codes or codes developed by the industry are inherently weak and lack effective enforcement me chanisms. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently very active in curtailing promotional excesses, government control is not the solution since regulatory action will depend on the ideologica l position of the head of the regulatory body and/or the party in powe r. An independent body backed by legislative authority is preferable.