Aussies ok with sponsorship?
February 10, 2012
THE Australian public is not
wholly against sponsorship
agreements between doctors and
patients as long as they are open
and publicly declared, according to
a new survey conducted on behalf
of GlaxoSmithKline Australia.
The survey looked at responses
from 1,007 Australians aged between
18 and 64 years old, and found that
whilst 90% initially had negative
views about pharmaceutical
companies paying fees to
healthcare professionals, this figure
dropped after people were “given
further information about the
purpose of that funding”.
Major concerns held by the public
with regards to sponsorship
included compromises to doctors
integrity (54%), patients not
receiving the best medicine (52%)
and the potential for such payments
to influence advice given by doctors
to patients (72%).
The majority of respondants
however approved of pharmaceutical
companies helping to fund medical
research programs or clinical
education projects (79%), whilst
82% of respondents told
researchers that they approved of
pharmaceutical companies funding
some aspect of the health system
when the purpose of the funding is
explained.
The timing of the survey coincides
with Medicines Australia’s current
industry-wide review of the
current Code of Conduct for the
marketing of pharmaceuticals, with
GSK saying it is a strong advocate
for increased transparency in
regard to relationships between
manufacturers and healthcare
professionals.
“We think increased transparency
will increase confidence among
consumers and help put the
benefits of these arrangements in
context,” said GSK Australia GM,
Deborah Waterhouse.
“The results from the survey
seem to suggest that our position
on this topic is consistent with
community expectations,” she added.
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