When it comes to drug sales representatives, it is sufficient to take the four workers who, within a specific geographical area of their competence, have the worst economic performance, i.e. "they make pharmaceutical companies sell fewer drugs", i.e. they are very unconvincing in towards health care providers or pharmacies, so much so as to arouse the attention of the company that fires the workers in question, as sometimes "they don't earn the salary they take home at the end of the month". In most cases those work areas are divided among neighboring workers, with a warning: if you don't want to end up the same, get busy! And yes, because in three months we're going to see who will be the worst four and that's it! “Strike one to educate a hundred”. In other cases, the area left uncovered is manned by a new entry, but in that case the contract will be precarious, on commission, as a freelancer, in short, paid if it brings results, otherwise off, exchange, under another!
But the question arises, is all this ethical? Is it formally correct? Do you respect the state law that regulates these figures who are so important for companies, as well as for the National Health Service and consequently for patient citizens?
The answer is no!
……………No because according to law 219, a scientific informant is not a business finder who must be judged on his economic performance, but must explain to the doctor who prescribes the efficacy and adherence of the treatment to the pathologies, after which the doctor will choose the best drug, the most suitable one, it is certainly not the informant's fault if drug A is preferred to drug B, but only for the good of the patient.
…………..No because law 219 always states that the informant cannot depend on the commercial sector of the company, but on the scientific division, therefore to reinforce the concept, he cannot be fired on the basis of sales, it is not his mission is not his goal and therefore he cannot be fired for this reason.
…………..Not because pharmaceutical companies have a "code of ethics", Farmindustria itself has a "code of ethics", which such attitudes blatantly trample on.
All of this is to be strongly rejected, these attitudes can no longer be tolerated, Chiesi immediately withdraws the layoffs, and Farmindustria immediately convenes the table of the contractual Observatory, set up precisely to address these incorrect behaviours.
The Filctem CGIL Nazionale supports the territorial and regional positions that have already emerged and the mobilization of Chiesi workers, it will act as a protagonist on this and other disputes with these characteristics until justice is done!
P. the Sergio Cardinali Pharmaceutical Chemical Department
Rome, 19 June 2019
Via Piemonte, 32 • 00187 Rome – tax code 97337120584 – tel 06.46200964 fax 06. 4824246 www.filctemcgil.itchimica@filctemcgil.it
Related news: Farmindustria code of ethics
Ed: There is a law, 219/06, which clearly states that drug sales representatives (ISF) depend on the Scientific Service and the Scientific Service must be independent from the marketing Service of the pharmaceutical company (art. 122 and 126).
There are numerous judgments which reaffirm that the ISF is not a seller, the same code of ethics of Farmindustria states that the activity of the ISF must not have any connection with the use of the drug, even if it is not remunerated (point 2.5).
The guidelines of the Conference of the Regions on scientific information, those that the Regions then implement on their territory as a regulation, absolutely exclude the support to the ISF of the area manager or of professional figures not related to the activity of scientific information.
All clear?
And instead, no.
Although the law has been in existence since 2006, and before it there was an identical law of 1992, in the CCNL the ISF is included in the marketing functional area, that is, it responds to marketing, which is clearly outlawed. But nobody does anything. After 13 years of the law on the ISF, Farmindustria and Unions have decided to set up an "Observatory on scientific information" to observe whether to apply the law or not! Ridiculous, if it weren't tragic: this "little" illegality cost 15,000 ISF their jobs.
The Filctem and UILtec press release is good, but who has seen it? It does not appear on their sites, not even on their Facebook sites, no press organ talks about it, the suspicion arises that they are communicated for the use and consumption of the ISF.
Let's hope it's just a suspicion.
PS: Late in the morning the Press release was published on the Facebook page of Sergio Cardinale and Filctem CGIL Nazionale and on Filctem newsletter
