E-DRUG: WHO/HAI Manual for students on Pharmaceutical Promotion
---------------------------------------------------------------
dear e-Druggers,
WHO/HAI Pilot Manual aims to help Medical and Pharmacy students
understand and respond to Pharmaceutical Promotion
Medicines are a vital part of improving and maintaining health and
healthcare professionals, such as doctors and pharmacists, play a key
role in ensuring that medicines are prescribed and used rationally.
However, numerous concerns have been raised about the relationship
between healthcare professionals and the pharmaceutical industry -
particularly the industry's influence on prescribing and dispensing
decisions. This influence can lead to less than optimal treatment
choices and can even be detrimental to patient health.
Research shows that while in training, many healthcare professionals
receive little or no instruction on how to assess pharmaceutical
promotion and how to understand its often subtle influence on their
behaviour. In response, WHO and HAI have developed a new publication:
Understanding and Responding to Pharmaceutical Promotion - A Practical
Guide. This draft manual can assist educators and healthcare
professionals in teaching medical and pharmacy students about
pharmaceutical promotion.
On Wednesday, 20 May, Health Action International (HAI) held a Technical
Briefing at the 62nd World Health Assembly, From Education to
Regulation: Innovative Tools for the Rational Use of Medicines to
present new initiatives aimed at improving public health by addressing
the consequences of unethical pharmaceutical promotion. The meeting
attracted a range of country delegations, health professionals, civil
society organisations, medical and pharmacy students, academics and
representatives from the pharmaceutical industry.
To learn more about the manual and related work on pharmaceutical
promotion, including the PowerPoint presentations and a sample pdf
chapter please review the event materials from the briefing session
www.haiweb.org <http://www.haiweb.org/>
Regards,
Dr Tim Reed, Director
HAI Global
Overtoom 60/III
1054 HK Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 683 3684
Fax: +31 20685 5002
Email: tim@haiweb.org
Website: http://www.haiweb.org