Drug firms finger dodgy doctors<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Pharmaceutical firms have complained about the favors they are
\nobliged to do for medical practitioners, saying that such
\nactivities have caused drug prices to soar.<\/p>\n
An official from the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Industry
\nAssociation (GP Farmasi) alleged that some doctors' associations
\nhave forced his members to organize exhibitions during seminars,
\nand provide air tickets, hotel charges, and food allowances for
\nthe doctors attending.<\/p>\n
\"The practice is common and forces the industry to increase
\nthe price of drugs,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A tablet of branded amoxillin antibiotics, for example, could
\ncost about Rp 3,000 (35 U.S. cents), while the generic ones cost
\nonly about Rp 560.<\/p>\n
He illustrated his point by saying that a medical specialist's
\nassociation had asked several pharmaceutical companies to set up
\npromotion stands during a seminar, but they were forced to pay up
\nto US$40 per square meter for the booths.<\/p>\n
\"The normal price is about US$8 per square meter,\" he said,
\nadding that pharmaceutical companies were often required to rent
\na least six square meters.<\/p>\n
\"If the company refuses, then a deal exists among specialists
\nthat they will not prescribe our products,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Because of the consequences, our members will never refuse
\nattendance, but in the end the costs will be added to the
\nproduct's price. Consumers have to pay the price,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also said this is a common occurrence. \"Such thing happens
\nat almost every exhibition. The industry has no choice,
\nparticularly on patented drug which could not be promoted in
\nother way.\"<\/p>\n
A pharmacist, Mulyadi, said the price of a branded drug could
\nbe five or six times more than its generic equivalent.<\/p>\n
The usual reason for the high prices is given as the cost of
\nraw materials, which are mostly imported from foreign countries
\nsuch as Sweden and India.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for a pharmaceutical company also complained of
\npaying doctors' costs:<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes they even treat it (the seminar or symposium) as a
\nfamily vacation, so they bring their family members with them,\"
\nsaid the man who refused to be named.<\/p>\n
The cost of such 'promotions' supposedly adds between 15 and
\n20 percent to the drug price.<\/p>\n
Separately, Dodi Firmanto, spokesman for the Indonesian
\nDoctors Association (IDI), said such practices could be reported
\nto IDI's Doctors's Code of Ethics Council (MKEK).<\/p>\n
The association was supposed to have the authority to suspend
\nmedical doctors engaged in such practices, but in many cases it
\nfailed.<\/p>\n
The country has about 12,000 variants of drugs available,
\ncompared to 5,000 in the U.S. and Europe.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drug-firms-finger-dodgy-doctors-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}