english.prescrire.org > Spotlight > Archives : 2011 > Prescrire's 2010 Information Awards: a few companies are praised for their transparency, but others receive "Red Cards"

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Prescrire's 2010 Information Awards: a few companies are praised for their transparency, but others receive "Red Cards"

In addition to a drug's effectiveness, adverse effects, convenience and price, the pharmaceutical company’s transparency is a criterion to be taken into account when choosing a treatment.

Prescrire's reviews of new drugs and new therapeutic indications for existing drugs are based on a thorough literature search for all evaluation data, especially clinical.

Prescrire also contacts the companies that market drugs to ensure that all the evidence is taken into account, including unpublished data.

Prescrire’s Information Awards focus on the quality of the information, and the speed with which it is provided by the companies whose products were assessed during the previous year in the New Products section of Prescrire’s French edition.

In 2010, Prescrire paid tribute to responsible firms who provided in-depth, pertinent information, especially unpublished data, within a reasonable time. 7 firms are cited in the Honours List, 3 of which were rated “Outstanding” for having responded very quickly, sometimes spontaneously, and supplying particularly detailed and comprehensive data.

On the other hand, 11 firms received "Red Cards" for either failing to reply to Prescrire's request for information, responding too late, or providing insufficient data. The Information "Red Cards" are a means of highlighting some firms' repeated failure to supply data and of galvanising them to do better, in the interest of patients and healthcare professionals.

©Prescrire 1 March 2011

"The 2010 Prescrire Awards" Prescrire Int 2010 ; 20 (114): 79-82. (Pdf, free)

> Click here for the online Dossier "Prescrire Awards"
Download the 2010
Prescrire Awards
 
See also:
 
The Prescrire Awards