TRANSPARENCY IN TRANSFER OF VALUE TO NON – PHYSICIAN HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
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Abstract
fect Thai people quality of lives. Healthcare professional is one of the occupations that gain public creditability. Public trusts that healthcare professionals expert in treatment and provide service by taking patients’ benefits as their priorities. However, healthcare service is similar to other businesses in term of competition. Pharmaceutical companies have to compete in the market in order to gain profits. The said competition leads to marketing tactics aiming at healthcare professionals. Those marketing tactics cause conflicts of interests which are the roots of numerous problems such as irrational drug use, high price of drugs, negative effects on patients’ health and et cetera.
Healthcare service sector consists of various kinds of healthcare professionals, thus, physician is not the only professional providing service in such sector. There are other non – physician healthcare professionals providing service in healthcare sector as well. For example, there are pharmacists and other healthcare service providers in the process of drugs and medical supplies selection and procurement of drugs and medical supplies. Hence, physicians are not the only healthcare professionals that conflicts of interests can arise in their relationship with pharmaceutical companies. Conflicts of interest can also arise in the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and non – physician healthcare professionals.
Accordingly, legal measure which aims to reduce conflicts of interests and enhance transparency should also focuses on relationship between non – physician healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies. Focusing merely on the relationship between physicians and pharmaceutical companies leaves loophole in the law which can cause ineffectiveness in conflicts of interest reduction and transparency enhancement. Therefore, any benefit given by pharmaceutical companies to non – physician healthcare professionals should be disclosed to the public as well.
Since there is no legal measure concerning the disclosure between pharmaceutical companies and non – physician healthcare professionals, in this article, the author aims at studying foreign laws as a guideline in order to find the most suitable recommendation for conflict of interest reduction and transparency enhancement in the relationship between non – physician healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies in Thailand.
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References
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Laws
English
“Code of Practice for Ethical Channel” (10th Edition, 2016) Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers Association (PReMA)
English Version of Thai Criminal Code B.E. 2499
EU Directive 2001/83/EC of 6 November 2001 on the Community Code relating to Medicinal Products for Human Use (2001) L 311/67
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Section 6002 (2010)
PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals 2008
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WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion 1988
Thai
ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณะสุขว่าด้วยเกณฑ์จริยธรรมการจัดซื้อจัดหาและการส่งเสริมการขายยาและเวชภัณฑ์ที่มิใช่ยาของกระทรวงสาธารณสุข พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๗ ลงวันที่ ๓๐ ตุลาคม พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๗
(The Attachment of Notification of the Ministry of Public Health on the Ethical Standard Concerning the Procurement and the Promotion on Drug Sale and Medical Supplies B.E. 2557 on 30th October B.E. 2557)
ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุขว่าด้วยแนวทางการบริหารจัดการด้านยาและเวชภัณฑ์ที่มิใช่ยาโดยคณะกรรมการหรือคณะกรรมการร่วมหรือคณะกรรมการย่อย พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๗
(The Notification of the Ministry of Public Health concerning the Practice in Drugs and Medical Supplies Management by Committee, Co – Committee or Sub – Committee B.E 2557)
ประกาศคณะกรรมการพัฒนาระบบยาแห่งชาติ เรื่อง เกณฑ์จริยธรรมว่าด้วยการส่งเสริมการขายยาของประเทศไทย พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๙
(Announcement on Ethical Criteria on Thailand Medicinal Promotion B.E. 2559 issued by National Pharmaceutical System Development Committee)
พระราชบัญญัติการจัดซื้อจัดจ้างและการบริหารพัสดุภาครัฐ พ.ศ.๒๕๖๐ (Procurement and Management of Government Supply Act B.E. 2560)
พระราชบัญญัติยา พ.ศ. ๒๕๑๐ (Drug Act B.E. 2510)
ระเบียบกระทรวงสาธารณสุขว่าด้วยการบริหารจัดการด้านยาและเวชภัณฑ์ที่มิใช่ยาของส่วนราชการและหน่วยงานในสังกัดกระทรวงสาธารณสุข พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๗ (The Ministry of Public Health Regulation on the Administration of Drugs and Medical Supplies in Government Sector and Organizations under Ministry of Public Health B.E. 2557)
ระเบียบสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรีว่าด้วยการพัสดุ พ.ศ. ๒๕๓๕ (Regulation of Prime Minister’s Office on Procurement B.E. 2535)
Electronics Media
Baker &McKenzie “Interactions between life sciences companies and health care professionals: can the French Sunshine Act push transparency sofar?”(Baker&MckenzieFrance,13April2012)
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