Transfers of value. Pharmaceutical companies publish 2016 data

Fedaisf editorial staff

July 13, 2017

The EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) Code is a code of conduct which requires all companies that are members of EFPIA and companies that are members of associations that are members of EFPIA (Farmindustria) to disclose their transfers of value to healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations (HCOs).

The member companies therefore adopted transparency measures within their national codes by 21 December 2013. The first disclosures were made by 30 June 2016, for payments made in 2015. This information was published on a public platform , which can be on the company's website or, in some countries, on a centralized platform, with data from different companies.

The EFPIA Disclosure Code sets out guidelines for the disclosure of certain transfers of value to healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations. Examples of transactions that must be disclosed include: contributions to healthcare organizations and fees for scientific advice from healthcare professionals.

The EFPIA Code and the Farmindustria Code of Conduct guarantee appropriate compensation to doctors and healthcare organizations involved in clinical trials in order to advance the scientific field on the use of medicines while promoting the training of healthcare professionals. That is to bring greater transparency to this vital relationship between the company and healthcare professionals and to strengthen the basis for collaboration in the future. Industry is about being proactive. The collaboration between industry and healthcare professionals is solely for the benefit of patients.

In Italy, the percentage of consent of doctors to the publication relating to 2015 was very high: higher than 70%, in many companies even 80-90 and sometimes 100% of adhesions. It is a response of great awareness and responsibility on the part of the industry and the doctors who have joined the initiative guaranteeing these percentages”.

This year (data relating to 2016) among health professionals, who have given their consent to the publication of their activities, in the majority of cases it does not exceed 1,000 euros and only rarely are figures exceeding 3,000/4,000 euros.

More significant data are those relating to transfers of value to healthcare organizations: for example AIOM (Ass. It. Oncologia Medica) received from msd extension 1.4 million euros, from Roche 332,966, from Janssen 149.000.

The recurring name among the beneficiaries is the National Academy of Medicine of Genoa which receives a total of 911,357.01 from Novartis (290,709.55 + 83,787.16), from Bayer (254,021.30) from Janssen (121,117) and minor figures from Teva, Sanofi, Gilead, MSD, Hospira e Pfizer.

Another recurring name is that of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of both Milan and Rome with a transfer of value of 702,770 from AstraZeneca, 104,300 from MSD and smaller figures from Gilead, Sanofi, Novartis, Roche and Menarini.

Federanziani benefited from 210,000 euros from Pfizer for the organization of a conference.

Contributions to training consultancy bodies stand out, in which 1,712,010.64 euros received from the Collage SpA of Palermo by Novartis.

Finally, investments in Research & Development which amount to 1.5 billion euros