Industry-Based Medical Information in Europe: Practices and Customer Expectations

Pharmaceutical companies' medical information services are well established in Europe. They are responsible for providing information about a company's medicines to health care professionals and to the company's marketing, sales, and other staff. Although terminology, roles, and responsibilities differ from country to country (and from company to company), there are many similarities.

The aim of this article is to give a brief overview of medical information services in Europe. Although both of us are based in the United Kingdom, we have extensive contact with our colleagues in mainland Europe. Our comments are based on our own experience and on what we have learned from our colleagues.