Ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion

The Forty-first World Health Assembly,

Recalling resolutions WHA21.41 and WHA39 77;

Having considered the report of the Executive Board concerning the ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion based on a draft prepared by an international group of experts;

Convinced that observance of ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion by all parties concerned will contribute to a more rational use of drugs;

1. THANKS the international group of experts for its work;

2. ENDORSES the ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion that are annexed to this resolution, on the understanding that they constitute general principles that could be adapted by governments to countries’ circumstances as appropriate to their political, economic, cultural, social, educational, scientific and technical situation, their national laws and regulations, disease profile, therapeutic traditions, and the level of development of their health system, and that they do not constitute legal obligations;

3. URGES Member States:

(1) to take account of these ethical criteria in developing their own appropriate measures to ensure that medicinal drug promotion supports the aim of improving health care through the rational use of drugs;

(2) to monitor and enforce, where appropriate, the implementation of the measures they have developed;

4. APPEALS to pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, the promotion industry, health personnel involved in the prescription, dispensing, supply and distribution of drugs, universities and other teaching institutions, professional associations, patient and consumer groups, the professional and general media (including publishers and editors of medical journals and related publications), and the public:

(1) to use these criteria as appropriate to their spheres of competence, activity and responsibility;

(2) to adopt measures based on these criteria as appropriate, and monitor and enforce their standards;

5. REQUESTS the Director-General

(1) to ensure the wide dissemination of these criteria in all official languages;

(2) to follow the practice of these criteria and to report to the Executive Board from time to time as appropriate.