How to dance with porcupines: rules and guidelines on doctors' relations with drug companies

doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7400.1196

BMJ 2003;326:1196-1198 (31 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7400.1196

Education and debate

How to dance with porcupines: rules and guidelines on doctors' relations with drug companies

Elizabeth Wager, publications consultant¹

¹ Sideview, Princes Risborough HP27 9DE liz@sideview.demon.co.uk

Interactions between doctors and drug companies can lead toethical dilemmas. This article gives an overview of the guidanceand codes of practice that aim to regulate the relationship

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Like the porcupine's quills, drug companies' interactions withdoctors are numerous and can be harmful if approached the wrongway. (Lewis and colleagues used the analogy of dancing withporcupines to describe university-industry relations,¹ andI liked it so much I have appropriated it.) I have aimed tohighlight the major rules and guidelines relating to interactionsbetween doctors and drug companies, but this is not an exhaustive survey.

SUE SHARPLES

Codes of conduct for pharmaceutical companies developed by industry organisations tend to be voluntary but are often backed up bycomplaints procedures. Many countries with major pharmaceuticalsectors have national codes, such as those of the Associationof the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI),² Medicines Australia,³ and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturersof America.⁴ These usually concentrate on drug companies'marketing activities—most prohibit companies from givingdoctors inducements to prescribe their products in the formof payments, lavish gifts, or . . . [Full text of this article]

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