Content :

Pharmaceutical marketing practices - Actions

 

Sanofi-aventis implements a range of actions to reach its objectives:  

• Monitoring of promotional documents
• Audits of the subsidiaries
• Training meetings

Monitoring of promotional documents

Making sure principles and ethics rules are effectively applied

Corporate Medical Affairs ensures that the Group’s ethical principles and requirements are duly applied through internal audits:

• all promotional materials selected by Global and Regional Marketing to promote sanofi-aventis’ strategic products (the Top 15, which represent two-thirds of pharmaceutical sales) are audited prior to distribution. Affiliates that wish to carry out their own promotional campaign for major local products routinely send all their materials to corporate for validation prior to publication or distribution. In 2007, more than 2,000 documents were audited;
• all affiliate promotional materials are examined following publication (a posteriori): 8,000 items were audited in 2007 out of the 20,000 sent by the affiliates, which corresponds to roughly 80% of all materials produced. The selection is made partly at random and partly according to a specific risk in connection with the country or the product. For minor violations, a letter is sent summarizing the errors committed. Cases of gross negligence lead to withdrawal of the material (one to two withdrawals per year), and may result in the audit of the affiliates involved.

Audits of the subsidiaries

Ensuring compliance with procedures

In addition, during quality audits the Group conducts assessments directly at the affiliate site to ensure it follows procedures for promotional material approval and complies with the sanofi-aventis promotional codes, and with the country’s regulations concerning materials that may be used (visual aids, brochures, the affiliate’s Internet sites, gifts, etc.). The audit results are contained in a report. If necessary, the report recommends proactive measures to be instituted by the affiliate to restore compliance.

The affiliates are either audited on a routine basis or they are selected according to how often errors have been observed during a posteriori inspections of their promotional materials.  

External and internal codes to which the Group adheres

 

Training meetings

Organize workshops to ensure the involvement of all employees

Sanofi-aventis wants all employees have a thorough grasp of the principles involved and understand the need for a demanding validation process. To do so, the Medical, Regulatory and Marketing teams take part in meetings organized by the regions.

After a review of the rules of good practice, the meetings present scenarios related to day-to-day promotional activity to ensure that all employees have assimilated the principles.