ABPI says pharma advertising spend is relatively modest

The amount of money spent on advertising by pharmaceutical companies is “relatively modest”, it was claimed this week.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, director-general of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), Dr Richard Barker, defended the figures paid for marketing by drug firms.

A recent survey discovered that a fifth of GPs are more influenced by pharmaceutical advertising than advice given by the NHS with regard to prescription choices.

But Dr Barker said the idea that doctors are “bombarded” with marketing materials is incorrect and the money spent on this is not as large as would be believed.

“It’s a relatively modest amount [of advertising] in relation to what we spend on research and development,” he continued.

“The vast majority of the marketing expenditure is medical representatives giving information.”

Meanwhile, this week also saw a Liberal Democrat MP and member of the Public Accounts committee suggest printing the cost of prescription drugs on the packaging in an attempt to reduce waste.

John Pugh told Channel 4 bulletin News at Noon that people should be made aware of the price paid for such items by the community and the NHS.