The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has published a new guide to how the pharmaceutical industry can support healthcare professionals (HCPs) with prescribing decisions.

The report, No More, No Less: a Guide to the Appropriate Prescribing of Medicines and the Role of Industry, highlights the responsibilities that pharmaceutical companies have to ensure they provide accurate information to support high-quality healthcare.

Every year in the UK, over one billion medicines are prescribed and dispensed from more than 18,000 preparations licenced for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The current resources available for pharmaceutical companies to support the quality, safety and efficacy of medicine include the Summary of Product Characteristics, medical information and pharmacovigilance expertise, as well as medical advisers.

In the UK, most pharmaceutical companies provide a Medical Information Service (MIS) for HCPs, patients and the public via telephone or email. In addition, MIS personnel or medical service liaisons, provide balanced information and advice on all clinical aspects of medicine.

Intended to be read alongside other sources of information from Royal Colleges and other professional bodies, the new report includes some examples of these services in action, as well as the type of information provided to assist clinicians with their decisions in specific cases.

The report also highlights the responsibility of industry under the ABPI Code of Practice to ensure professional, ethical, transparent and appropriate use of medicines for the benefit of patients when interacting with HCPs and organisations.

The ABPI has also covered the promotion of medicines for prescribing to HCPs and other relevant decision-makers, as well as providing information about prescription-only medicines to the public and patients.

Furthermore, the report recommends that companies consider whether their sales representatives could play a more comprehensive role, including addressing not only the efficacy and safety of the medicine, but also who the medicine may not be appropriate for.

Dr Amit Aggarwal, executive director of medical affairs at the ABPI, said: “This guide will help clinicians understand the range of support companies can provide” and “is in the interests of patients, the NHS, and the life sciences industry for patients to receive only the medicines they need”.

https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/abpi_publishes_new_prescribing_support_guide_for_healthcare_professionals_1508889