Australasian college of physicians sacks its ethics committee

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians has sacked its own ethics committee just days after the committee produced strict new guidelines on doctors’ ties to industry.The college has also provoked an outcry by refusing to release its guidelines for public consultation, opting for an internal process instead.The draft Guidelines for Ethical Relationships Between Health Professionals and Industry had strengthened the already tough, pro-transparency stance of previous editions. Among its recommendations it labelled doctors’ use of drug samples and starter packs as “inappropriate,” it said, given that these were “primarily a marketing exercise.”The draft guidance also explicitly called on the college to establish processes for publicly declaring its relations with the drug industry and the competing interests of members and office holders—something the college does not currently do.Three years in the making, the 105 page document briefly appeared on the college’s website in early September before being quickly taken down.Paul Komesaroff, who chaired the guideline working party and also the now defunct ethics expert advisory group, warned that valid public consultation was “critical” to ensuring the legitimacy and integrity of the final document.In an open letter to the college’s president, Leslie Bolitho, which was also signed by 12 working party members, Komesaroff said that the draft reflected “the large volume of data now available concern...
Source: PharmaGossip - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs