06.07.16
Disclosure UK: A milestone for transparency
Source: NHE Jul/Aug 16
Karen Borrer, head of reputation at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), on a new industry-led initiative that marks a step change in transparency in the relationship between the pharma industry and healthcare professionals.
Thursday 30 June was a landmark day for transparency in the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals across Europe, as pharmaceutical companies became required, under rules from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), to disclose details of payments and transfers of value made to individual healthcare professionals and healthcare organisations in 2015.
In the UK, details of these transfers of value, payments and benefits in kind are now published on a public database, Disclosure UK. Managed by the ABPI, it’s intended for use by patients, the press, the health service and industry.
This database is part of an industry move towards greater transparency, with the aim of building better relationships with the medical community, and providing patients with open and transparent information about these relationships.
First disclosures and analysis
The UK pharmaceutical industry is proud of the relationship it has with healthcare professionals and organisations and, since 2012, it has annually published details of payments made to healthcare professionals in aggregate totals. The public disclosure of payments and benefits in kind on an individual basis for healthcare professionals and organisations marks a significant development in the pharmaceutical industry’s relationship with them.
The first disclosures, which address transfers of value made during 2015, cover activities such as research and educational grants to healthcare organisations, as well as transfers of value to individuals for activities – such as speaking at education meetings, consultancy and attending advisory boards. Data will be published annually thereafter.
Industry and healthcare professionals collaborate through a range of activities, from clinical research to sharing best clinical practice and exchanging information on how new medicines fit into the patient pathway.
The new data, as analysed on 24 June, shows that in 2015, industry spent a total of £340.3m on working with health professionals and organisations, of which £229.3m (67%) was for activities related to research and development. The remaining £111m (33%) was in relation to non-research and development activities for organisations and individuals.
Typically, an estimated 70% of individual healthcare professionals have given their consent for this information to be disclosed on an individual basis. The 30% who have chosen to opt out of individual disclosure under data protection legislation appear in the aggregate total. Overall, companies spent an estimated average of £1,550 per healthcare professional and around £9,506 per healthcare organisation.
Getting everyone to opt in
We know the healthcare community ‘buy-in’ to the transparency agenda in the industry and health service relationships. In 2016, ComRes reported that 87% of GPs, nurses, pharmacists and hospital specialists support our work towards greater transparency, thinking that payments to individually named professionals should be transparent. Yet whilst a 70% individual disclosure rate is a great start, it’s clear that industry and the health service must do more to convince healthcare professionals who chose to opt out of the value of publicly accountable transparency.
In the UK, pharmaceutical companies believe that sharing knowledge is at the heart of the industry and health service relationship, and that this should be made available and easily explainable to the public. Companies can shape their future research programmes based on expert opinion. Understanding how a medicine fits into the patient pathway can help companies provide the right information, education and training, to support the introduction of a new medicine, and to ensure the best outcomes for patients.
Clinicians can benefit from sharing ideas with colleagues, or through building their own understanding of the science behind new treatments. Patients are the ultimate beneficiaries of this information exchange, profiting from new medicines that meet their healthcare needs.
The benefits of open communication
Industry shares a common objective with all stakeholders in healthcare: ensuring patients get the best care. Legitimate interactions between the medical community and the pharmaceutical industry are essential for better patient outcomes. Open communication about these interactions will increase understanding and reduce concerns of inappropriate influence.
The pharmaceutical industry in the UK is committed to being more open about our work with doctors, nurses and other health professionals and we will continue to work with partners in the NHS and the government to achieve this through Disclosure UK and other initiatives, including NHS England’s conflicts of interest work and Sir Malcolm Grant’s task and finish group.
For our collective future, we would encourage everyone with a stake in our national health and wealth to build the public’s confidence that working with industry needs not be a cause for concern, but is in fact vital to accelerate drug discovery and deliver even more positive patient outcomes.
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