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