Pharmaceutical industry launches online and social media campaign to raise awareness of new financial disclosure code
27.05.14
(Brussels - 27 May 2014): EFPIA has spearheaded a new online and social media campaign to raise awareness of the Disclosure Code that requires all EFPIA member companies and companies which are members of EFPIA member associations to disclose transfers of value to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and healthcare organisations (HCOs).
The campaign includes a new online portal pharmadisclosure.eu that will provide regular updates on best practice from EFPIA member organisations and feedback from stakeholder groups across Europe, highlighting progress in implementing the Code.
At a launch event in Brussels today, Richard Bergström, Director General of EFPIA said: “We as an industry have said we will be absolutely transparent about our relationships with healthcare professionals and organisations. But we have only just begun to communicate with the three million medical professionals in Europe about how this will be put into practice. The launch of this campaign continues the conversation using dynamic channels to optimise the reach and connectivity with those who need to know and act on the changes taking place.”
EFPIA member companies are required to implement the Code by 2016, at which point they will make publicly available payments and transfers of value made to healthcare professionals and organisations from the previous year, 2015.
Under the Code, EFPIA member companies will have to disclose the names of healthcare professionals and organisations that have received payments or other transfers of value from them. They will also have to disclose – by HCP or HCO – the total amounts of value transferred, by type of transfer or value which could consist of, for instance, a grant to an HCO, a consultancy fee for speaking, payment for travel or registration fees to attend a medical education congress. This information will be published on a public platform, which could be on the company’s own website or a central platform combing data from different companies.
Collaboration between the industry and healthcare professionals is an essential two-way street in which the industry gets clinical feedback that helps to shape the research and development of new medicines, whilst being a channel for companies to provide the essential expertise and insights about their medicines that clinicians require to deliver the highest quality treatment for patients.
A report from the launch event will be available soon.