Pharmaceuticals banned from giving medics incentives

Pharmaceutical companies have been banned from giving financial or related incentives to healthcare professionals in an attempt to influence their prescription of drugs to patients.

In its new code of practice, the Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry has proscribed the offering of any financial or material benefit, including grants, scholarships, subsidies, support, consulting contracts or educational or practice-related items, to doctors as an inducement for prescribing, recommending, purchasing, supplying or administering particular products.

Those who will break the rule risk a fine that will be determined by the association’s ethics committee.

 “All our members are now bound by the code of practice, which restricts them from corrupting doctors or any other healthcare professionals,” said Kapi chairperson Anastasia Nyalita, adding that the new code aims at enhancing public trust.

Penalties will be assessed by the Ethics and Compliance Committee, in line with the Arbitration Act. According to Dr Nyalita, strict enforcement of the code has been triggered by the need for more transparency and accountability in interactions between healthcare professionals and the public.

The rules are also meant to curb unethical practices. The code is a collection of principles derived from The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations Code of Practice, 2012, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association, and South Africa Code of Marketing Practice.

But the code allows medical workers to receive “patient health related” gifts. These items include anatomical models, stethoscopes, medical textbooks, journals and magazines.