Changes to the ABPI Code of Practice ensures greater transparency on payments to healthcare professionals, UK

Date: Nov-12-2013ABPI member companies have agreed changes to amend the ABPI Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry to include greater transparency on payments made to healthcare professionals and healthcare organisations.1

Stephen Whitehead, Chief Executive of the ABPI, said:

"For too long the industry has suffered from a common misunderstanding around the nature of its relationship with healthcare professionals. These relationships are proper and play a vital part in ensuring healthcare professionals understand the detail of new medicines to support future research and development and improve the quality of patient care.

"The changes to the Code are part of the industry's attempt to address this misunderstanding and to enhance transparency around these relationships. We hope this will allow us to foster greater trust between the medical community, industry and patients."

Results of a recent consultation,2 reported last month in the BMJ, showed overwhelming support for public disclosure of payments within the healthcare professional community and across commercial life sciences companies, with almost 90% of the 1,055 individual respondents agreeing that payments to individually named healthcare professionals by companies should be transparent and publicly declared. The next important step is to finalise the method of disclosure and a number of options are being considered. 80% of respondents to the survey agreed that a single, publicly searchable, central database was preferable. The ABPI and other relevant organisations will now engage further with relevant stakeholders. It is anticipated that the 2015 ABPI Code will include requirements about the method of disclosure. As with all changes to the Code there will be a consultation and it is likely that this will be in summer 2014.3

Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.