What is representatives' briefing material?

When a complaint is received about how a representative promoted a medicine, the PMCPA may request a copy of the relevant briefing material. Briefing material must comply with the appropriate requirements of the Code and must be certified. It must not advocate, either directly or indirectly, any course of action which would be likely to lead to a breach of the Code. The detailed briefing material referred to in the Code consists of both the training material used to instruct representatives about a medicine and the instructions given to them as to how the product should be promoted.

Companies are reminded that briefing material can come from a number of sources including, among other things, the marketing, training and sales departments. Even memorandum or emails written by field managers to their representatives could, according to content, be viewed as briefing material. All briefing material, whatever its source, is subject to the Code and must be certified before use.