On ethics and self-regulation

Writing about the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) Philippines' series of round table discussions on the ethical promotion of pharmaceutical products, Dr. Alberto Romualdez in his article, "Finger-pointing on ethics" (Malaya, September 8, 2010), pointed out that "one of [the factors that influence the availability and accessibility of safe and effective medicines for sick Filipinos] is the continued misuse or overuse of ineffective, inappropriate, and often unsafe preparations for treatment of illnesses or enhancement of health."

According to him,"The irrational use of pharmaceutical products is a result of aggressive, often unethical, marketing and promotions practices of a highly competitive industry in a severely imbalanced market."

In his account of what has transpired in those round table discussions, he mentioned that "The health professional discussion group consisted of doctors and pharmacists who had the most extensive dealings with pharmaceutical marketing activities. These groups acknowledged that ethical problems existed but essentially laid blame on drug companies. The groups generally advocated for self-regulation in the form of existing or newly revised codes of ethical behavior. It was acknowledged however that mechanisms for monitoring compliance and imposing sanctions on violations were [woefully] inadequate."

In searching for any existing or newly revised codes of ethical behavior that may serve as basis for self-regulation, it is notable that the Code of Ethics of the Philippine Medical Association specifies the following:

"A physician is encouraged to report to the Philippine Medical Association or the Board of Medicine personal knowledge of any corrupt or dishonest conduct of the members of the profession." (Art. IV, Section 9)

"Generic names shall be used during the course of CME activities. However, after the lectures, the sponsoring entity may promote or indicate their branded products." (Art. IV,Section 15)

"Only gifts of reasonable value that primarily entail benefit to patient care or related to physicians' work may be accepted by a physician from a health product company." (Art. VI, Section 3)

On the other hand, the PPhA's code of ethics is more general in stating that "A pharmacist acts with honesty, integrity and professionalism in relationship with the patients and other health professionals."

Based on the above comparison, I hope that our code of ethics will be as specific as that of the PMA's. I also hope that this finger-pointing on ethics will stop soon. It's time we take the responsibility for our actions.

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(Note: Posted also in the official website of the Philippine Pharmaceutical Association.)