Value Added Services Europe

Sep 17, 2013 - Sep 18, 2013, London

Become a health provider and add value beyond the pill

Disclosure of Doctor Payments Possible with new EFPIA Transparency Code

EU drug manufacturers are required to disclose future doctor payments, from 2016, following a code of practice developed to improve transparency in the industry.



The ‘disclosure code of transfers of value to healthcare professionals and organisations’, created by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) states that its members must disclose payments in 2016 in relation to transfers made in 2015.

Every member company will have to disclose or document the names of the healthcare professionals or associations who have received payments or something else of value on their websites. The disclosed information will also include the payment amount as well as the type of financial relationship which will affect consultancy and congress fees and travel payments. EFPIA members must adhere to this code in order to remain in this trade body.  

The creation of this EU code mirrors the development of the US Sunshine Act, which will come into effect later this year, making it mandatory for companies to disclose all doctor payments. Previously, authorities have forced several US companies to disclose doctor payments, as part of a settlement. For example, GlaxoSmithKline was forced to pay $3 billion due to aggressively marketing its drugs to health professionals and physicians.

According to PharmaShine analysts, the top 12 drug manufacturers paid doctors more than $1 billion last year. A mandatory US law concerning disclosure of doctor payments to the public would make the pharmaceutical industry more accountable as well as reduce the amount of disproportionate monetary incentives given to healthcare professionals.   

EFPIA Director-General Richard Bergström commented on the necessity of this code, formally adopted on 24th June, saying that, “this is an important step for our industry, as we demonstrate our commitment to transparency and secure the trust of the patients our industry serves.

[The code is] EFPIA’s delivery on the guiding principles set forth last autumn, in which we committed to working together with relevant stakeholders to establish a clear approach to transparency of financial transactions and other declarations of interest.

We know that by making this a success, we can improve the relationship between industry, HCO’s and HCP’s in a way that ultimately benefits the people that all three of these stakeholders aim to serve patients.”   

Additionally, this type of legislation concerning monetary incentives from drug manufacturers to doctors has recently been introduced in France while the Netherlands also possesses a self-regulatory code. Denmark and the UK are currently creating their disclosure code with doctors and the industry. All these developments demonstrate that the pharmaceutical industry is willing to achieve more transparency in respect of its financial relationship with doctors.



Value Added Services Europe

Sep 17, 2013 - Sep 18, 2013, London

Become a health provider and add value beyond the pill