Ethical relations with healthcare professionals are of vital importance for pharmaceutical companies. Cooperation with them results in a better quality of support provided to patients and the development of science and medicine. However, it is not always easy to identify what is acceptable in such relations and what would be recognized as non-compliant with law and ethical standards. Various jurisdictions and industry associations around the globe have their own restrictions in place.

That is why DLA Piper’s global Life Sciences team has prepared the interactive comparison site, providing an overview of compliance requirements applicable to pharmaceutical companies in their interactions with healthcare professionals in over 35 jurisdictions and at the EU level (the Global Compliance Guide).

This site addresses the following key areas:

• Regulatory frameworks;
• Competent authorities;
• Event locations;
• Event venues;
• Accommodation;
• Transport;
• Meals;
• Family members;
• Online conferences; and
• Promotional events.

Comparisons are made not only of statutory law, but also of industry codes that establish the accepted ethical standards in the pharmaceutical sector.

The information on the site is concise and easy to navigate, being clearly divided into countries and topics. It will be a very useful tool for pharmaceutical companies around the world that wish to interact with healthcare professionals in an ethical way.

For further information, please contact Marco de Morpurgo, Partner, Global Co-Chair, Life Sciences sector (International) at marco.demorpurgo@dlapiper.com or Andrzej Balicki, PhD, Partner, Head of Regulatory, DLA Piper Warsaw at andrzej.balicki@dlapiper.com.