GlaxoSmithKline (a major multinational pharmaceutical company) have publicly advertised that they will be offering $10,000 grants to medical practitioners who successfully push their DTP vaccine.
written by Meryl Dorey
Big pharma bribing Drs to push vaccines
August 2006
Drug companies should not be allowed to put out ads to supposedly uninterested third parties announcing bribes for successful drug pushing. We put people in prison for pushing marijuana and I personally see very little difference except perhaps that the risks of marijuana are not quite as clear-cut as the risks of vaccination.
I immediately contacted the Federal Health Ombusdman only to be told that this was not under their jurisdiction. They suggested the ACCC who told me the same thing and suggested that I contact the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners of all things! That is a bit like complaining to the pre-Soviet break-up KGB that you were worried about your rights and your privacy.
Finally, I got someone at the Federal Department of Health who basically told me that this was not an issue they handled but suggested that I file a complaint with Medicines Australia. This is the industry-run body that self-regulates pharmaceutical advertising (and if medical ethics might be considered an oxymoron, what is there to say about a word like self-regulation?). If they feel that this ad breaches their code of conduct, then they can take action including requiring a withdrawal of the information and a series of ads to redress the misleading or unethical statements made.
Where do you come in?
Now, I know that self-regulation is not the best solution, but I’ve been assured that this group actually has some teeth and has taken action against companies in the past so I think it is worth a try and it is so easy to file a complaint!
To lodge a complaint against GlaxoSmithKline for their ad
and click on the link at the top of the page that says Code of Conduct to read the actual code of conduct that governs this type of breach. Then click on Lodging a Complaint for the form to use.
This can either be emailed or posted to Medicines Australia – again, whichever is easiest for you.
It will take many hundreds of complaints for the authorities to be forced to do something about this situation. If you believe in what we are asking you to do, please take five minutes and complete this form now before you forget.
If you know of others who feel the same way, ask them to do so as well.
The Infanrix Immunisation Awards
Grants of $10,000 for achieving success in immunisation
The Infanrix Immunisation Awards have been developed to reward and share best practice and innovation in childhood immunisation.
The awards will commend programs or initiatives run by immunisation providers implemented over the past five years that have aimed to, or have successfully achieved through demonstrated activity:
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1. A significant increase in, or attainment of, high immunisation coverage in the four year-old cohort; or
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2. A significant increase in, or commendable, immunisation coverage rates in populations of hard-to-reach children and/or adolescents.
The flyer, an advertisement in a national journal for nurses (though I am aware that at least two of the major doctor’s publications in Australia also printed this ad) goes on to state that:
...the four winners will be announced at the 9th National PHAA Immunisation Conference in Darling Harbour from the 30th July to the 1st August 2006 and their submissions will be submitted for publication in medical publications.
The following is taken directly from the advertisement that appeared in a national journal for nurses (and at least 2 other major doctor’s publications in Australia).
NB: Infanrix is a combination diptheria tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccine manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.
