The Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries Code of Conduct (“SAPI Code”) has been revised to provide distinct standards on the provision of donations and independent grants. The revisions are effective from 1 August 2021.
Highlights of the amended code are:
- The earlier version of the SAPI Code had merged the guidelines with respect to donations and grants (previous Article 7.5.4), the revised SAPI Code deals with the provision of donations and grants separately
- The new Article 7.5.4 states the conditions for donations and clarifies that donations may refer to “monetary, used items or product donations.” It also introduces two new requirements for providing such charitable donations. The donations should be: (a) reasonable and justified and (b) made without any intent to benefit from such donations.
- The new Article 7.5.5 states that the 42 SAPI-represented pharmaceutical companies (“Member Companies”) can provide independent grants to support a broader range of causes such as “medical/scientific research, education, policy initiatives and patient advocacy related activities,”, subject to a new additional requirement that seeks to uphold accountability.
- The SAPI Code does not have the force of law, but acceptance and active observance of the code is considered mandatory for all Member Companies.
Access the revised SAPI Code, HERE
*Tanvi Singh, Editorial Assistant has put this story together.