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Pharmaceutical companies paid half billion euros to doctors and for studies
Over 50 pharmaceutical companies in Germany together paid over half a billion euros to physicians and medical institutions and organizations last year. The money was earmarked for studies, training and sponsorship. Critics refer to the voluntary self-regulation of the pharmaceutical industry as a "big image campaign".
Over half a billion euros paid to doctors and clinics
Last year, the pharmaceutical industry paid over half a billion euros to doctors and medical organizations and institutions. Certainly the money was for studies, training and sponsoring. As the Voluntary Self-Regulation for the Pharmaceutical Industry (FSA) and the Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (vfa) announced on Monday in Berlin, the total amount for the year around 575 million euros. According to the figures, 54 companies are voluntarily committed to disclosure under the so-called Transparency Code. According to their own information, these companies together cover 75 percent of the German pharmaceutical market for prescription drugs. The actual payments made to physicians and hospitals in Germany should therefore be significantly higher.
Pharmaceutical companies in Germany paid over half a billion euros to doctors and clinics last year. The money was earmarked for studies, training and sponsorship. (Image: denisismagilov / fotolia.com) Hundreds of millions for controversial application observations
The figures show that 366 million were used for clinical trials and controversial observational studies. However, especially when observing the use of medicines for patients in everyday life, the suspicion of corruption has been repeatedly raised. These serve according to critics only to the fact that physicians prefer to prescribe a certain medicine. The pharmaceutical industry sees in the testing of drugs in everyday life, however, an important research component. 119 million euros went to physicians and other professionals for lecture fees and training, and 90 million to medical organizations and sponsorship organizations for events, donations and foundations.
Law against corruption in health care
In mid-May, the Federal Council passed a law against corrupt doctors. A statement said: "Doctors or other healthcare professionals who seek to prescribe prescriptions for certain medicines, remedies or supplies will face up to three years' imprisonment." The Anti-Corruption Public Health Act The demand for more transparency in the drug and medical device market should be emphasized.
Disclosure should be annual
According to the information, the individual member companies of vfa and FSA want to publish their services on their websites by the end of June. This disclosure will be made annually in the future. Insofar as data protection allows, companies also make individual services comprehensible to individual doctors. This depends on the approval of each doctor. According to FSA and vfa estimates, about one third of the physicians are currently willing to disclose the benefits. However, many would wait to see how the public reacted to the transparency initiative. One stands only at the beginning of a "new culture" in this area.
Increase understanding in patients
Birgit Fischer, Chief Executive of vfa, said in a press release: "We want to better explain the need for collaboration between companies and doctors. This will increase understanding of and acceptance among the public and patients. "She continued," Collaboration between research-based pharmaceutical companies and physicians is a prerequisite for the development of innovative medicines and the best possible treatment for patients. This is how medical progress comes about. "
Critics speak of a big "image campaign"
According to a news agency dpa, the Central Association of Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) spoke of a "good initiative to shed light on the pharmaceutical industry's payments to third parties. However, it is still missing that the individual patient can understand to which doctor how much money has flowed, "said the spokesman for the GKV-Spitzenverbandes, Florian Lanz. The German Foundation for Patient Protection similarly argued. Accordingly, physicians are still likely to hide behind the privacy policy. "Therefore, the legislature is required to give these Nameless finally a face," said Foundation Board Eugen Brysch. And the health spokeswoman for the Left Group, Kathrin Vogler, criticized: "What the pharmaceutical industry wants to sell as a self-control of their influence on doctors, is rather a big image campaign." (Ad)