Europe – MedTech Europe updates ethical code

MedTech Europe has updated its Code of Ethical Business Practice considering the evolution in standards since it last revised the document in 2015. The updated text features additional information on topics including collaborative research and third-party intermediaries, plus a new annex about calculating the value of in-kind educational grants.

The trade group revised the Q&A associated with the 2015 code last year but otherwise left the content unchanged. Recognizing that standards and best business practices have evolved over the last couple of years, MedTech Europe has now returned to the guide and overhauled several sections.

“This revision, which also enhances usability and reader-friendliness, shows our industry’s continued commitment to ethics, integrity and transparency. By clarifying existing provisions, adding new sections to address additional types of [healthcare professional] interactions, and further developing the Code’s underlying values, the updates further support industry’s strong compliance principles,” MedTech Europe CEO Serge Bernasconi said.

A new section on collaborative research notes that medtech companies can collaborate with non-industry partners on scientific research if the work has a “legitimate purpose” and the roles and responsibilities are defined in writing. Each partner must actively contribute “significant skills, experience and/or resource complementary to the collaboration,” according to the code…