GPs want more

Most GPs have far more contact with the sales agents of drug companies promoting their products than with independent services offering objective information on new medicines, the survey found.

It also found that 65 per cent of GPs saw more than five pharmaceutical sales reps a month, with 34 per cent receiving more than 10 visits. A handful admitted to seeing 20 or more reps a month.

Choice asked a Sydney GP to keep track for one month of all contact from pharmaceutical companies. The GP received information from 18 different drug companies about 33 different drugs, including 11 direct visits from drug reps.

But only one third of doctors had ever seen the independent equivalent of the sales reps, the government-funded National Prescribing Service’s medical educators. Only about half of the 180 GPs surveyed were even aware the service existed.

“Choice is concerned about the level of access that pharmaceutical company drug representatives have to GPs relative to independent sources of information,” said Choice health policy officer Michael Johnston.

“What 60 per cent of surveyed GPs are telling Choice is that there aren’t enough sources of independent information available for them to be able to keep abreast of new drugs without receiving visits from multiple pharma company drugs reps,” Mr Johnston said.

Choice believes the government needs to invest more money in independent medical education so that GPs are able to receive regular updates on new drugs from sources free from industry influence.

The cost of this education could be offset by a one-off reduction in the prices paid to pharmaceutical companies through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, it says.

“The Federal Government will spend over $7 billion this year on PBS-listed drugs. Consumers will pay many billions more for these drugs through co-payments,” Mr Johnston said.

“To improve the cost-effectiveness of the PBS, the government should invest more money in independent medical education for GPs.”