Epocrates Product Licenses
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Is sponsoring Epocrates references for healthcare professionals allowable under PhRMA marketing guidelines?
Yes, the Epocrates® Essentials, Epocrates Rx Pro®, and Epocrates® Online Premium clinical reference applications are tools that fit within the PhRMA guidelines.
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies first adopted ethical marketing guidelines July 1, 2002. These guidelines were recently updated to provide further clarification on appropriate marketing practices. The updated guidelines, which are substantially similar to the original, will go into effect January 1, 2009.
Here are a few key points regarding the updated PhRMA guidelines and Epocrates:
| PhRMA Marketing Guidelines | Epocrates Software |
|---|---|
| Interactions with healthcare professionals are professional exchanges designed to benefit patients and enhance the practice of medicine | In a 2006 Brigham and Women's Hospital survey, over 60% of physicians surveyed believed that their use of Epocrates clinical reference tools prevented adverse drug events or medical errors three or more times in the prior month. |
| It is appropriate for companies to offer items designed primarily for education of healthcare professionals if the items are not of substantial value ($100 or less) and do not have value to healthcare professionals outside of his or her professional responsibilities. | Epocrates Rx Pro costs $60/one year and Epocrates Online Premium costs $99/one year. Epocrates Essentials costs $75/six months. These clinical references are intended specifically for use at the point of care as reference tools for the clinician's practice. |
| Gift certificates redeemable for medical textbooks or books on patient care could be provided if they are not of substantial value. However, open-ended gift certificates are not allowable under the PhRMA guidelines. | Epocrates' product license program allows reps to buy licenses that may only be used to activate copies of Epocrates mobile or online clinical medical references. |
| Marketing of products should ensure that products are used correctly for maximum patient benefit. | Epocrates Essentials, Epocrates Rx Pro, and Epocrates Online Premium references provide the latest information on dosing, diagnosis, drug interactions, diagnostics and more to help clinicians provide the best possible patient care. |
| Marketing of products should ensure that products are used correctly for maximum patient benefit. | Epocrates Essentials Deluxe, Epocrates Essentials, Epocrates Medical Dictionary, Epocrates Rx Pro, Epocrates Coder and Epocrates Online Premium provide the latest information on dosing, diagnosis, drug interactions, diagnostics and more to help clinicians provide the best possible patient care. |
Epocrates tools are valued by healthcare professionals as evidenced by our over 500,000 active subscribers worldwide, including over one in four U.S. physicians and more than one in three U.S. medical students. Plus, nearly 30% of Epocrates physicians report saving over 20 minutes a day, according to an internal survey conducted in 2007.
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