Karachi: The government is committed to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the people of Pakistan by ensuring proper standards and regulating the industry and health sector.
“The National Regulations and Services is there to serve in the best interest of our public”, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Minister for National Regulations and Services said this while speaking at a conference on “Ethics in Healthcare” organized by Pharma Bureau, a representative body of the research based multinational pharmaceutical companies operating in Pakistan at Lahore on Monday.
We strive to maintain the highest ethical standards as we clearly define and readily communicate our mandate, the rules and regulations, the due processes and procedures, and all other activities to the major stakeholders, i.e. the patient the physician and the industry, she said. We must ensure the affordability of health care as well as viability of the industry.
She said spurious drugs, counterfeit drugs and sub-standard drugs as well as quackery are a growing problem and steps will be taken to halt these evils that prey on the common man. The newly formed Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan will put in place codes, rules and regulations that will ensure to maintain standards and prevent such tragedies in the future, she added.
Asif Jooma, Chairman Pharma Bureau, said in his welcome speech that the ethics in healthcare simply means doing the right thing for the patient – that is to provide safe and efficacious treatment that delivers health benefits, focus on what is core to the patient’s well-being, and respect what the patient wants and it is not always easy to determine what “the right thing” is, and in such circumstances, the code of ethics clearly spells out the framework within which to operate leaving little to nothing open to interpretation.
He said a general perception exists that pharmaceutical companies often cross the line between ethical and unethical activities when promoting their own products with the prime motive being profit as opposed to patient interest. I have a rather simplistic way of addressing what to some people appears to be a dichotomy. If we, as manufacturers and marketers of pharmaceutical therapies believe in our products which provide genuine benefit to patients, there is no reason why doctors will not promote your products which in turn will translate into higher sales and economic profit, he said.
He said the Pharma Bureau is doing and will continue to ensure that these ethical practices are followed by all member companies. The Pharma Bureau has a dedicated Ethical Committee that has clearly defined policy and procedures, which are followed by all member companies in addition to their own company’s ethical global standards.
Each member company is also a signatory of the international IFPMA codes, which defines how to market products and approach healthcare professionals. Member companies continuously monitor each other and ensure that they all follow these ethical policy guidelines and any deviations are immediately raised to the ethics committee.
He said there is also an immense need to understand the importance of Pharmaco vigilance and how it impacts the life cycle of the product. The Government needs to enable integration of good pharmaco vigilance practice in the process and procedures to help ensure regulatory compliance and enhance clinical trials safety and post marketing surveillance. The government can also commission research and stimulate a debate on how the innovative capacity of the industry can be increased without compromising public health.
The need is now unavoidable to create awareness among lawmakers, healthcare professionals, industry players and among concerned citizens of the country.
Meltem Ozker Gunduz from Turkey, currently responsible for Legal Affairs & Compliance in Novo Nordisk for BusinessArea Near East, gave a presentation on ethical standards in health-care sector. CEOs, prominent doctors and health-care professionals also addressed the seminar.
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