28.06.19
Pharmaceuticals invest £377m in research collaboration
New figures by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) show that the industry has continued to heavily invest in research and development projects in collaboration with healthcare professionals.
The data, published on Disclosure UK, shows that the pharmaceuticals spent £377.3m in 2018, an increase on almost £8m on the previous year.
A record 57.2% of healthcare professionals agreed for the payments they receive to be disclosed last year.
Mike Thompson, chief executive of the ABPI, said:
“We can’t discover new medicines without the expertise of research bodies, doctors and nurses. It’s vital that companies can collaborate with those people, and that we’re open and transparent about any payments we make to them.
“The continued investment from companies is excellent news at a time of economic uncertainty and signals the strength of the sector in the UK.
“Everybody working with the pharmaceutical industry should publish the details of their work so that the public can be confident about those relationships and understand the importance of this collaboration towards improved healthcare.”
The figures highlight a trend of increasing transparency within the industry to disclose funding information.