E-drug: Dutch gov't may stop monitoring advertising & marketing activities
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Dear List Readers,
The role that governments should play in monitoring the activities of the
pharmaceutical industry has become headlines in the Netherlands this week.
The Inspector General of the Dutch Healthcare Inspectorate announced on
Wednesday that he wants the Inspectorate to stop monitoring the industry�s
advertising and marketing activities. He believes that this area carries
little risk for public health. While he stopped short of saying it should be
abolished, he does believe it should be done by another agency, namely the
tax service or an economic unit.
This specialised sector was set up three and a half years ago by the Dutch
Minister of Health under pressure from the Lower House of Parliament. In the
past three years, the Inspectorate has carried out an active campaign of
investigation and enforcement in this area taking a number of companies to
court for inappropriate gifts for doctors, unethical advertising and
borderline direct-to-consumer advertising (which is illegal within the
European Union).
On Thursday, the acting Dutch Minister of Health reacted angrily to the
Inspector General�s announcement and said she still has to decide her
position on the proposal. There is speculation that the Ministry�s decision
will not be made until a new government (now forming) is in place. The
acting Minister of Justice has also become involved in the debate as he sent
a letter to the Minister of Health earlier this month in which he opposed
the idea of shutting down the pharmaceutical industry monitoring unit within
the Inspectorate.
Members of the Lower House have asked the acting Minister of Health for an
explanation of this plan and there is talk of a �speed debate� in the Lower
House.
HAI Europe has issued a press release in response to the Inspector General's
plan and has emphasised how the Inspector General�s plan could affect public
health in the Netherlands and throughout the European Union. To read the
press release in Dutch or English, go to:
http://www.haiweb.org/news/news.html
For more information, contact:
Lisa Hayes
e-mail: lisa@haiweb.org
Lisa Hayes
Communications Director
HAI Europe
Jacob van Lennepkade 334-T
1053 NJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
tel: + 31 - 20 - 683 3684
fax: + 31 - 20 - 685 5002
e-mail: lisa@haiweb.org
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