Background: Pharmaceutical companies employ various advertising strategies to promote their drugs through promotional materials. However, the information presented may lack the necessary details to maintain the consistency of Drug Promotional Literature (DPL) because it does not adhere to the promotional guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which can result in inappropriate prescription.
Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate accuracy and rationality of Drug Promotional Literature (DPL) by following WHO-Ethical criteria, 1988 norms.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out for ten months, from June 2023 to April 2024 in various outpatient departments at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Rajasthan, India.
Results: A total of 135 DPLs were gathered and evaluated among them 9.62% DPLs were fulfilling the WHO guideline criteria. The remaining DPLs quote brand name 100%, generic/INN name 94.81%, dosage form 92.59%, active ingredient 82.96%, and therapeutic use 85.93%. The modest reported findings which include references 58.52%, side effects 41.48%, precautions and warnings 33.33%, and drug-drug interactions 23.70%. The references cited 25.19% were from journals, websites 20.74% followed by 7.41% data base and books 5.19%. The 75.56% claims were about efficacy, 56.30% for safety, and convenience 64.44% followed by cost 31.11% and pharmacokinetic property 25.93% was quoted.
Conclusion: In our research, we find that most drug promotional materials fail to uphold competence, excellence, and uniformity in their advertisements. The pharmaceutical companies did not adhere fully to the WHO ethical guidelines when promoting a drug. Continuous awareness and training initiatives at the institutional level during medical education will enhance clinicians' ability to evaluate and compose accurate, rational, and cost-effective medication choices.
KEY WORDS: Broachers, Drug promotional literature, WHO ethical norms, Pharmaceutical Company, advertisement
Key words: Broachers, Drug promotional literature, WHO ethical norms, Pharmaceutical Company, advertisement
|
