Payments made to healthcare professionals by pharmaceutical companies have been published for the first time.
The figures are currently anonymous but names will be published by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) from 2016 as part of an EU initiative to promote relationship “transparency”.
Published today (8 April 2013) the figures show when pharmaceutical companies have sponsored NHS staff to attend clinical events, provide training and development, as well as fees paid for speaking engagements and participation in advisory boards.
Adding ‘value’
Payments from the pharmaceutical industry to nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals totaled £40 million for 2012, according to ABPI statistics.
The figures show another way the pharmaceutical industry “adds value to the NHS” at a time when budgets are under pressure, according to ABPI chief executive Stephen Whitehead.
“The industry is proud of its collaboration with healthcare professionals,” he said.
“Working closely with healthcare professionals has helped the industry to consult with, and listen to, clinical expertise and develop medicines which are in the best interest of patients.”
