European industry group publishes code on medical conferences

The European drug industry has created a grading system for medical education conferences to help steer drug companies away from sponsoring or participating in those that are considered lavish or inappropriate.

The database, available on www.efpia-e4ethics.eu, was set up by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).

José Zamarriego, head of the code of practice surveillance unit at Farmaindustria, the Spanish industry association, has worked closely on the project for the past eight months. He said, “One of the aims of the scheme is to help the pharmaceutical industry build trust and credibility with healthcare professionals through transparency. It is one step forward.”

The database has assessments of more than 100 upcoming conferences, and a further 250 events are to be assessed by the …