Growing support for shared ethical principles from healthcare and medicines providers

The International Hospital Federation (IHF) and the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance (IGPA) endorse efforts by organizations representing patients, health professionals and R&D pharma to recognize common ethical principles worldwide when delivering solutions to address patients’ needs.

• Global movement fostering ethical practices celebrates first anniversary of its Consensus Framework, showing progress at national level.
• The Consensus Framework can be referred to by health providers and has the potential to impact millions of patients worldwide.

Geneva, 26 January 2015 – The International Hospital Federation (IHF) and the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance (IGPA) today endorsed efforts by founding partners of the Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration to promote common ethical principles worldwide when delivering solutions to address patients’ needs.

This endorsements fall on the first anniversary of the Consensus Framework when partners met on the fringe of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board meeting to celebrate implementation of the framework at national level. Countries currently looking to build a set of joint national ethical health practices inspired by the Consensus Framework include Austria, Belarus, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Philippines, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Signatories of the Consensus Framework comprise the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO), International Council of Nurses (ICN), International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and the World Medical Association (WMA).

“The Consensus Framework has today become stronger as its provision can now apply across the whole healthcare community”, said Dr. Xavier Deau, President of the WMA. “Actions undertaken under the Framework will guide interactions between millions of patients and nurses, pharmacists, doctors, dentists and hospitals, as well as the research-based and generic pharmaceutical industries worldwide”, added Stephen McMahon, Interim Chief Executive Officer, IAPO.

Today’s endorsements also coincide with the establishment of the Consensus Framework Endorsement Guidelines. The Framework does not override existing individual codes and guidelines; instead, it highlights and reinforces the existing commitments held by each individual organization. By endorsing the Framework, collaborating organizations, like IGPA and IHF, commit both at global and national levels to ethical conduct and interactions that uphold high standards and integrity to ensure the well-being of patients worldwide. The Consensus Framework is voluntary and has no formal enforcement mechanism.

“All signatory partners share the objective of delivering high-quality healthcare to patients worldwide in a transparent and accountable way”, said Eduardo Pisani, Director General of IFPMA. “We are glad that other key healthcare delivery providers endorse the commitment to ethical, open, and informed decision-making and action. This will result in stronger accountability of the whole healthcare sector”, Dr David C. Benton, Chief Executive Officer of ICN and Luc Besançon, General Secretary and CEO of FIP added.