PACE adopted Resolution on public health and the interests of the pharmaceutical industry

On September 29th, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution 2071, entitled “Public health and the interests of the pharmaceutical industry: how to guarantee the primacy of public health interests?”.

Specifically, the Assembly called on the Council of Europe member states to:

• Incorporate into the curriculum for health-care professionals specific, mandatory training to foster awareness of the influence of pharmaceutical promotion and how to respond;

• Introduce a mandatory levy on the promotional activities of the pharmaceutical industry and use it, inter alia, to finance a public fund to be used for the independent training of health-care professionals;

• Place an obligation on pharmaceutical companies to declare their linked interests with all health sector players, to make these declarations accessible to the public, and to establish an independent authority responsible for monitoring this matter.