Pharmaceutical Representative General Information

Disclosure Log

Upon request, or at time intervals that the Commissioner of Public Health Prescribes by rule, pharmaceutical representatives shall provide the following information to the Commissioner of Public Health or his designee: a list of healthcare professionals within the City of Chicago contacted; the number of times the health care professionals were contacted; the location and duration of contact; the pharmaceuticals promoted; whether product samples, materials, or gifts of any value were provided to the health care professional and the value of the products, materials, or gifts; and whether and how the health care professional was compensated for contact with the pharmaceutical representative. The time interval covered shall be no greater than the period between license renewals.

Click here for the disclosure log spreadsheet to track your interactions with healthcare professionals.

Pharmaceutical Representative Ordinance And Rules

Read the Pharmaceutical Representative Ordinance and Rules:

Pharmaceutical representatives who violate the Ordinance or Rules may face:

  • suspension or revocation of the license
  • inclusion in a public list of pharmaceutical representatives whose licenses have been revoked
  • a fine of no less than $1,000 and no more than $3,000 per day of violation

Review Ethical Standards

  1. A pharmaceutical representative shall not engage in any illegal, fraudulent, or other deceptive marketing of a pharmaceutical product, including the knowing concealment, suppression, omission, misleading representation, or misstatement of any material fact.
  2. A pharmaceutical representative shall not use a title or designation that could reasonably lead a licensed health professional, or an employee or representative of a licensed health professional, to believe that the pharmaceutical representative is licensed to practice medicine, nursing, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, or any other similar health occupation, unless the pharmaceutical representative holds an active license to practice that health occupation.
  3. A pharmaceutical representative shall not attend patient examinations without the express, written consent of the patient. The representatives also shall not enter an area meant primarily for healthcare providers and patients, other than a designated waiting area, unless invited in by a healthcare provider working on site.
  4. A pharmaceutical representative shall comply with the applicable policies and procedures of the health care facilities and health care professionals’ offices he or she visits.
  5. A pharmaceutical representative shall not harass, intimidate, or coerce a licensed health professional, or an employee or representative of a licensed health professional, through any form of communication.
  6. A pharmaceutical representative shall cease making sales calls to a health care professional, or an employee or representative of a health care professional, if the health care professional requests it in writing or verbally to the pharmaceutical representative or the representative’s employer.
  7. A pharmaceutical representative shall not make any misleading statements to gain access to a healthcare professional.
  8. A pharmaceutical representative shall provide healthcare professionals with information that is truthful, accurate, and non-misleading, compliant with Food and Drug Administration laws and regulations.

Complaints

If a health care professional or patient wishes to file a complaint about a pharmaceutical representative for failure to comply with any of the requirements detailed in the Ordinance or these Rules, he may call 311 or submit a complaint through the 311 online complaint system and select ‘create a request’. The complaint shall include the name of the pharmaceutical representative, if known; the pharmaceutical company being represented, if known; the nature of the violation; the date, approximate time, and location of the violation; and any other pertinent information to support the complaint. The City will provide pharmaceutical representatives an opportunity to respond to complaints and share relevant information.