Now on, consumer groups the world over will closely scrutinise and monitor the marketing practices of drug companies to ensure that they do not compromise consumer safety and health. Consumers International (CI), a coalition of consumer groups worldwide chose Unethical Drug Promotion as the focus for this year’s International Consumer Rights Day (March 15), seeking to replace unethical drug promotion with clear, credible and transparent information.

As an example of unethical drug promotion, CI quotes the case of Vioxx (Rofecoxib). Promoted as a safe and gentle pain reliever for those suffering from arthritis, the drug posed a serious threat of cardiovascular problems and even death as a side effect. Says CI: Merck suppressed information about cardiovascular side effects associated with the drug, despite having this information at least four years before the drug was eventually taken off the market. The company spent US $160 million annually on marketing this drug. It caused between 88,000 and 1,40,000 cases of heart diseases in the US alone (Rofecoxib was banned in India in 2004).

Ironically, the industry associations have voluntary codes for self-regulation at the global, regional and the national level. Then there are also codes drawn up by individual drug companies, particularly in respect of drug promotion activity. But, says CI, these codes are not always exhaustive or enforced stringently.

CI quotes as an example, how there were 972 confirmed breaches of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s code by the 20 biggest drug companies between 2002 and 2005. Over 35 per cent of these breaches had to do with misleading drug information. Similarly, in Australia and the UK, in the year 2005, 19 of the 20 largest companies failed at least once to keep within the standards that the industry had written for itself.

CI also points out that the World Health Organization sets out a global benchmark to judge if drug promotion is unethical, but their criterion is not mandatory and does not carry any legal obligation. Then there are government regulations and codes, but these are again not strictly enforced. Or pharmaceutical companies find ways of circumventing them.

So obviously, consumer pressure is necessary to prevent such practices, as unethical drug promotion violates consumers’ right to information, choice and safety. Consumers International is therefore demanding that pharmaceutical companies put consumer safety before profit. As part of its year-long campaign, CI is calling for transparency in disease awareness funding, full disclosure of clinical trial data and an end to gifts for doctors.

So drug companies this year will come under increasing pressure to follow ethical practices in their sale of drugs.