Promotion and the Rational Use of
Medicines in a Global Market
Health Projects for Latvia
November 2012
Tim Reed
Health Action International
Amsterdam
Acknowledgements:
• Renée Vasbinder, HAI Global
• Bobbi Klettke, HAI Global
• Barbara Mintzes, HAI Member
Financial disclosure:
• No pharmaceutical or advertising industry funding
• Funding for my position: DFID, UK; DG Sanco, EU
Talk Outline
• Heath Action International (HAI)
• Interests in the Medicines Market
• Promotions Imperative
• Impact of Promotion
• Promotion and Rational Use
HAI Constitution:
Article 2.1
a. to promote rational and economic
medicines policy, therapy and use in
high, middle and low income countries
b. to work towards global justice in
health by increasing access to essential
medicines and improving the rational
use of medicines
HAI Mission statement:
Health Action International (HAI) is an
independent, global network working to
increase access to essential medicines
and improve the rational use of medicines
through research excellence and evidence-
based advocacy.
Health Action International (HAI) is an independent global network, working to increase access to essential medicines and improve the
rational use of medicines through research excellence and evidence-based advocacy
The HAI Global Network
Interests and the Political Landscape
Promotion and its Regulation – intervention in an
imperfect market that affect public health interests
All interests are affected…
Pharmaceutical Industry
Healthcare Professionals
Government
Patients
Consumer
Civil Society
Indentifying Conflict of Interest
‘…an inherent conflict of interest between the
legitimate business goals of manufacturers and the
social, medical and economic needs of providers
and the public to select and use drugs in the most
rational way.’
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, 1993
The Promotion Imperative
Accountability to Share Holders
Poor Innovation
Me-Too Medicines
Disease Mongering
Incentivised R&D Modelling
= to make money
= not much therapeutic advantage
= more of the same
= ‘new’ non-diseases
= markets not needs
The Promotion Imperative: Innovation
Ratings of 961 new drugs and indications in France, 1999 to 2008
La Revue Prescrire
The Promotion Imperative:
Registration & Me-Too medicines
• No therapeutic innovation
• Placebo Trials: Requirement to demonstrate
efficacy against placebo (only)
• Me-Too medicines
The Promotion Imperative: R&D Modelling
• Innovation rewarded with a patent
• Market Monopoly
• Encourages promotion (removes market forces)
• Cost of medicines linked to the cost of R&D
• No R&D into diseases that disproportionately
affect the poor
Does pharmaceutical promotion affect
prescribing: Question One ….
A little
38%
A lot
1%
None
61%
How much influence do sales representatives
have on your prescribing?
n=102 internal medicine residents Am J Med 2001; 110:551
n=102 internal medicine residents Am J Med 2001; 110:551
A little
33%
A lot
51%
None
16%
How much influence do sales representatives have on
other physicians' prescribing?
n=102 internal medicine residents Am J Med 2001; 110:551
Does pharmaceutical promotion affect
prescribing: Question Two ….
Gagnon and Lexchin. Cost of pushing pills. PLoS Med 2008 e1 Gagnon and Lexchin. Cost of pushing pills. PLoS Med 2008 e1
EFFECTS OF “CME” ON VOLUME OF
PRESCRIBING
Prescribing at major medical institutions
Orlowski et al. Chest 1992
n=102 internal medicine residents Am J Med 2001; 110:551
Tying it together: Rational Use
Essential Medicines
Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care
needs of the population … selected with due regard to disease
prevalence, evidence on efficacy and safety, and comparative
cost-effectiveness
Rational Use of Medicines
Patients receive medications appropriate to their clinical needs, in doses
that meet their own individual requirements, for an adequate period of
time, and at the lowest cost to them and their community." (WHO, 1985).
Irrational Use of Medicines Patients receive the wrong medications inappropriate to their clinical
needs, in doses that do not meet their own individual requirements,
for an inadequate period of time, and at an often unaffordable cost to
them and their community."
n=102 internal medicine residents Am J Med 2001; 110:551
Further Information
www.haiglobal.org
links to other sites in the network, promotions manual,
methodology for measuring promotion enforcement,
MeTA, Price and Availability methodology
www.politicsofmedicines.org
Unique encyclopaedia of the politics of medicine,
accessible essays that will grow and change with time