Updated September 2025
Conduct of Healthcare Industry Representatives:
MRII healthcare industry representatives are required to demonstrate integrity and maintain the industry’s reputation in all engagements with Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). The MRII Statement of Best Practice delineates the fundamental behaviours and actions expected of members, serving as the principal framework for appropriate representative conduct when interacting with HCPs.
Best practice expectations:
- Healthcare Industry Representatives must act responsibly and ethically in all interactions with HCPs.
- Healthcare Industry Representatives are obligated to immediately communicate any information concerning the utilization of their company’s medicinal products—including reports of adverse reactions—to the designated scientific/ medical affairs department.
- Healthcare Industry Representatives are expected to arrange appointments with healthcare professionals and facilities in a manner that ensures minimal disruption and avoids inconvenience.
- Healthcare Industry Representatives are expected to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct at all times. They must refrain from using inducements or subterfuge when requesting appointments and should always clearly and accurately present their identity and the organisation they represent from the outset. When conducting or arranging appointments, representatives are required to act with transparency, integrity, and respect for all parties involved.
- Representatives must follow the instructions of healthcare professionals or establishment policies.
- Healthcare Industry Representatives should respect healthcare professionals’ time and provide maximum notice if they need to cancel an appointment.
- Healthcare Industry Representatives may only promote medicinal products to healthcare professionals by phone or similar electronic means only if prior arrangements have been made.
- Healthcare Industry Representatives must act with respect, integrity and are transparent about actions and intentions with healthcare professionals at all times.
(The term “Healthcare Industry Representative” includes medical sales representatives, including personnel retained by way of contract with third parties/ vendors, and any other company representatives who call on healthcare professionals, pharmacies, hospitals, or other healthcare facilities in connection with the promotion of medicinal products).
Virtual interactions:
The Medical Representatives Institute of Ireland (MRII) continues to adhere stringently to all prevailing regulatory requirements and ethical frameworks governing engagements with healthcare professionals (HCPs), healthcare organisations, and professional associations across Ireland and the broader European context.
Our operational mandate remains firmly rooted in the primacy of patient welfare, unwavering integrity, mutual respect, and absolute transparency. These core ethical precepts guide the ongoing evaluation and execution of all professional interactions—whether in-person or virtual—ensuring that pharmaceutical and healthcare industry representatives consistently uphold the most rigorous standards of conduct.
- Patient-Centricity: All representative activities prioritise patient safety, clinical benefit, and the advancement of evidence-based medicine.
- Integrity: Interactions are conducted with honesty and fidelity to clinical data, ensuring that communications with HCPs are clear, substantiated, and fully compliant with approved product information.
- Respect and Professionalism: The autonomy and expertise of each healthcare practitioner are acknowledged at all times. Representatives must respect institutional protocols, professional boundaries, and the scheduling constraints of clinical staff.
- Transparency: Representatives are required to disclose their identity, company affiliation, and the purpose of each engagement from the outset, with meticulous record-keeping as per regulatory standards.
Virtual Engagements and Evolving Practices:
Owing to the ongoing impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants and evolving public health imperatives, scientific and clinical communications frequently adopt hybrid or fully digital formats. All activities conducted in virtual or digital environments—whether related to international congresses, scientific symposia, or targeted promotional communications—must demonstrate full compliance with the latest national and European regulatory guidance, including GDPR and pharmacovigilance obligations.
Key Definitions and Practices:
- Virtual International Medical Congress: A scientific assembly wherein all sessions, exhibitions, and symposia are delivered via secure digital platforms, often complemented by on-demand content. Attendee authentication and data integrity are paramount, with robust mechanisms for CME credit validation and secure interaction.
- Virtual Exhibition Stands: Digital spaces within congress platforms where medical and scientific information is disseminated exclusively to verified HCPs. All materials must align with the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) and be subject to medical review prior to display.
- Satellite Symposia: Industry-sponsored educational events occurring in proximity to the main congress scientific programme, either synchronously or asynchronously. These sessions focus on clinical updates, real-world evidence, and therapeutic innovation, with all sponsorship and faculty disclosures made explicit.
- Healthcare Professional (HCP): Any individual qualified and authorised to prescribe, recommend, supply, or administer medicinal products, including but not limited to registered medical practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, and certain allied health professionals.
Pharmacovigilance and Medical Information:
All adverse event information or product complaints reported during engagements—whether face-to-face or virtual—must be transmitted immediately to the designated medical affairs or pharmacovigilance department. This ensures regulatory compliance with current Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) requirements.
Best Practice Expectations:
- All direct-to-HCP communications via telephone, electronic mail, or virtual platforms require prior consent and scheduling to minimise workflow disruption and safeguard clinical productivity.
- Representatives must remain apprised of evolving digital standards, using secure, GDPR-compliant platforms for all data exchange and educational activities.
- Cancellation of appointments or digital sessions must be communicated with the maximum feasible advance notice, reflecting a commitment to respect for HCPs’ time and clinical responsibilities.
- Representatives must undertake ongoing professional development in medical ethics, data privacy, digital communications, and clinical pharmacology to provide scientifically accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information.
These protocols are subject to continual review and enhancement, reflecting emerging best practices, technological innovation, and the dynamic landscape of Irish and international healthcare.