KAPI imposes ban on gifts to healthcare professionals

KAPI seeks to ensure that ethical promotional practices are established in Kenya

By Green On Apr 18, 2019

From Right: Health Sector Information Researcher Joel Lehmann shares the KAPI research report to Kenya Association Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI) Chair Dr. Anastasia Nyalita (Centre) and Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) Dr. Rakuomi Vivian during the launch at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi.

Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.

The Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI) on Wednesday, imposed a ban on gifts and promotional aids for their members through the revision of their Code of Practice that guides interactions with healthcare professionals.

In the year 2016, KAPI rolled out the Code of practice which is a self-regulation tool for the association members (local and multinational pharmaceutical firms) and seeks to curb unethical practices in the pharmaceutical market place such as inducements to healthcare professionals in the private and public sector.

Speaking during a stakeholder consultative forum, KAPI Chairperson Dr. Anastasia Nyalita said that the Code of practice has been revised to align them with the global best practice while recognizing local unique challenges.

Adding that: “The Code stipulates that any sponsorship provided to healthcare professionals must not be conditional upon an obligation to prescribe, recommend, purchase, supply, administer or promote any pharmaceutical product.”

“Through the promotion of this Code, KAPI seeks to ensure that ethical promotional practices are established in Kenya. Subsequently, the new Code has imposed a ban on gifts and promotional Aids for Prescription Only Medicines,” said Dr. Jack Kileba who chairs the Ethics and Compliance Committee for KAPI.

The Code has also been aligned to IFPMA Code to member association codes such as EFPIA and PhRMA where a ban has been in force for several years.

The Stakeholder forum was attended by healthcare representatives from private and public hospitals and medical associations who are equally committed to promoting ethical practices in their institutions.

Ethical promotion is vital to the pharmaceutical industry' s mission of helping patients by researching, developing and marketing new products. Ethical promotion helps to ensure that healthcare professionals have access to information they need, that patients have access to the products they need, and that products are prescribed and used in a manner that provides the maximum healthcare benefit to patients.