Drug company reveals extent of payments to doctors
2nd May 2011 - Medical Observer
Mark O’Brien all articles by this author
GLAXOSMITHKLINE’S decision to reveal how much it has paid to Australian healthcare professionals for speaking and consulting services during the past 12 months has set the bar for other companies, according to Healthy Skepticism spokesman Dr Jon Jureidini.
The company has announced it will make its payments public by July and update the figures regularly in an effort to make its operations more transparent.
Dr Jureidini said he welcomed greater transparency in payments from pharmaceutical companies to health professionals but would reserve judgement on the effectiveness of the initiative until the details were published.
“I will be interested to see the quality of the information they release,” he said.
“It influences the way we doctors behave if we are given money. That information needs to be available to people who need to make judgements about our potential conflicts of interest.”
GSK medical director Dr Camilla Chong said the company hoped the initiative would help the manufacturer build trust with the public.
“It is important for people to understand the work we do,” she said.
“Unless we are transparent, there will always be this cloud over the industry.”
Dr Chong said the company expected the information released would include all grants, donations, consultancy fees and sponsorships made to healthcare professionals for research programs, advisory committee work and educational projects.
The figures will be updated and made available publicly on a regular basis.
The initiative follows the introduction in recent years of public reporting of spending on educational events, hospitality and entertainment for prescribers by Medicines Australia member companies.
Generic manufacturers have since followed suit, with Generic Medicines Industry Association member companies recently revealing for the first time the extent of their own spending on non-price benefit promotion of their products.
Tags: GlaxoSmithKline, Dr Jon Jureidini, Healthy Skepticism, Dr Camilla Chong, payments to health care professionals
Parker and a "hypothetical" by Dr Grice. The photos explain... 
