E-drug: seminar on industry sponsorship
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Dear Colleagues,
Health Action International would like to invite you to attend a
one-day seminar: The Ties That Bind? Weighing the risks and benefits
of pharmaceutical industry sponsorship.
Background
Increased competition for public funds, government calls for
privatisation and dwindling budget allocations have forced many NGOs,
patients groups and public health institutions to consider drug
industry support for their work.
While the benefits of public-private partnerships are often extolled
by corporations and government bureaucrats, until now, little
attention has been paid to the risks. Links with pharmaceutical
companies can raise questions about independence and campaign
priorities. They can also create conflicts of interest. At a national
level, industry sponsorship may give a company undue influence over
policy formulation. At a local level, it can subvert efforts to
promote appropriate medicines use.
Caught between accepting industry sponsorship and reducing or
abandoning their work, many NGOs have already faced this difficult
question. Many more may have to consider it in the future. But what
are the implications of this trend for the quality of work provided by
these organisations? Can it lead to favouring the company providing
sponsorship? Does it soften or even silence criticism? Are there
alternatives?
While such funding decisions are never made easily and are sometimes
backed by strict guidelines regarding the use and acknowledgment of
such funding, many NGOs continue to feel uneasy about such
"partnerships".
Because of this issue's importance for a large number of HAI contacts,
HAI-Europe will take a closer look at this new promotional tool used
with increasing success by industry and its possible consequences for
public health at a one-day seminar to be held on Friday, 11 December
at the FIAP Centre in Paris.
This public seminar will provide an overview of the issue, its related
themes and its role in the changing nature of public and private
funding of health care and health information (see the programme
which follows).
Specific issues to be covered will include:
- An overview of the issues to be considered when weighing conflict of
interest and how consumer groups/NGOs can address them
- Why does industry see sponsorship as an important promotional tool?
- What kind of sponsorship arrangements now exist and what are the
consequences for public health?
- How can an NGO analyse the terms of cooperation? Who wins, who
loses and what are the trade-offs?
Participation
The seminar is open to all groups and individuals interested in this
issue. However, limited seating is available and therefore no
registration at the door on the day of the seminar will be possible.
Interested E-drug participants should request a reply form from the
HAI-Europe office at the address given at the end of this message.
All replies must be received by the office before 15 November 1998.
HAI-Europe will contact you shortly after that date to notify you if
it will be possible for you to attend, and further background
information will then be sent to you.
The seminar will take place in English and all participants should
have a good working knowledge of that language. French-speaking
participants who feel more comfortable asking questions in French will
be assisted.
Registration fee
The seminar fee will be FRF 500 to be paid at the door in cash on the
day of the seminar - registration takes place between 08.30 and 09.00
hrs.
This fee includes registration for the seminar, coffee, lunch and tea
breaks, the closing reception, a background reader including topical
articles on sponsorship and related themes, and a copy of the
seminar's proceedings which will be published in 1999.
(Those unable to attend but interested in obtaining a copy of the
meeting report should contact the HAI-Europe office
[email:hai@hai.antenna.nl])
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Programme
The Ties That Bind?
Weighing the Risks and Benefits of Pharmaceutical Industry
Sponsorship
A HAI Seminar, Paris, France, Friday 11th December 1998
9.30
Welcome and introduction by seminar chair: David Gilbert, Office for
Public Management (OPM), United Kingdom
10.00 Sponsorship: The nature of the problem
- Charles Medawar, Social Audit, United Kingdom
10.40 The rise of partnerships and corporate sponsorship
- Judith Richter, (author of 'Engineering of Consent'), Germany
11.20 Coffee break
11.40 Pharmaceutical industry sponsorship and health care:
Consequences for consumers - Barbara Mintzes, (author of Blurring the
Boundaries: New Trends in Drug Promotion), Canada
12.20 Discussion
1.00 Lunch
2.00 Practical experiences with sponsorship - A Panel Discussion
Panel members:
- Diane Terblanche, Consumers Institute South Africa
- Mary McPhail, European Public Health Alliance, Belgium
- Danielle Bardelay, La revue Prescrire, France
4.00 Tea break
4.30 Conclusions and recommendations for action
- Joel Lexchin, Medical Lobby for Appropriate Marketing (MaLAM),
Canada
5.00 Reception
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For more information, please contact:
HAI-Europe,
Jacob van Lennepkade 334-T
1053 NJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
tel: (+31-20) 683 3684, fax: (+31-20) 685 5002
E-mail: hai@hai.antenna.nl
Elizabeth Hayes
Health Action International Europe
Jacob van Lennepkade 334 T, 1053 NJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
tel: +31 20 6833684, fax: +31 20 6855002
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