Voluntary implementation of the price information code of practice
January 2007
Price information code of practice (pdf,93kb)
Contents
- Interpretation
- Purpose
- Application
- Who may provide price information
- Responsibility for compliance with this code
- Methods for provision of price information
- General requirement prohibiting promotion
- Price information to include a sufficient number of products
- Description of medicines
- Information to accompany price information
- Presentation of price information
- Information that may not accompany price information
The Price Code will permit the publication of prices of medicines listed in Schedules 3, 4 and 8 of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP). The Code does not regulate the provision of price information for medicines that are permitted to be advertised, such as over-the-counter medicines in Schedule 2 of the SUSDP, medicines in Schedule 3 that are in Appendix H of the SUSDP, or medicines that are exempt from scheduling.
It is intended that the Price Code will remain in place on a voluntary basis until it is given legal underpinning through legislation developed as part of the Australian New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority, to be implemented in full at the commencement of the joint regulatory scheme.
The NCCTG and the AISG have welcomed implementation of the Price Code, as it formalises the TGA's advisory documentation on the publication of price information (first published in 2000) and provides clearer advice for advertisers.
The Price Code was released for stakeholder consultation in May 2004. The Regulation Impact Statement <http://www.tga.gov.au/meds/rispicop.htm> (the RIS) includes a description of the comments received. The RIS assisted the NCCTG to determine the most appropriate regulatory mechanism, for the provision to consumers of price information about the categories of medicines specified above. The Price Code was one of three regulatory options considered in the RIS.
Due to concerns expressed by some stakeholders regarding the need for caution in permitting price information to be published on medicines that are at a higher risk of misuse or abuse, the Price Code includes provision for Schedule A as a list of substances which cannot be included in a price list, where it has been demonstrated that inclusion on a price list will lead to a higher risk of abuse or misuse. NCCTG members have recommended that this list should be reviewed 12 months after implementation.
Complaints relating to price information will continue to be addressed under the current arrangements for handling advertising related complaints.