Research and development (R&D) investment by the pharmaceutical industry in the UK continues apace, new figures show, with £377.3 million spent on collaborations in this area last year, up from the £370.9 million spent in 2017.
The stats, from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, were published on Disclosure UK, the industry-led database of payments and benefits made to healthcare professionals and organisations in the UK, brought in to increase transparency.
In all, £508.1 million was disclosed by companies for 2018, with money spent on registration fees. Some £130.8 million was spent on registration fees, sponsorship agreements, travel and accommodation, donations and grants, fees, related expenses and joint working.
Before data is published, data protection law in the UK requires pharmaceutical companies to request consent from doctors in order to publish this information online. Without this, companies are unable to publicly disclose the names of the people they have worked with.
“The continued investment from companies is excellent news at a time of economic uncertainty and signals the strength of the sector in the UK. We can’t discover or bring to market new medicines without the expertise of doctors and nurses. It’s vital that companies can collaborate with those people, and that we’re open and transparent about any payments we make to them,” chief executive of the ABPI Mike Thompson said.
The role of Disclosure UK is to help increase transparency between pharmaceutical companies and doctors, nurses, pharmacists and the other health professionals and organisations it works with. The relationships between these have vital roles to play in the development and delivery of life-saving and life-enhancing medication.
At its core, the idea is to share knowledge in order to improve patient outcomes and the ABPI is keen to make sure that patients and others are confident that the relationship is open and transparent, hence why the sector is now taking the lead on disclosing details of payment and benefits in kind.
Working closely with healthcare professionals means that medicines can be delivered and developed to change and save lives, developing medication for diseases like dementia, cancer and diabetes.
Companies in the industry are able to shape future research programmes based on the scientific and medical expert opinion of these professionals, helping them provide the right information, education and training to support the introduction of new drugs – which will in turn ensure the best outcomes for patients.
The ultimate beneficiaries of the relationship between the industry and healthcare professionals are patients and their families. Look at HIV as an example – this was widely regarded as a death sentence in the 80s, but it’s now considered a chronic condition that can be managed through the use of innovative medication. And cancer death rates have dropped by 20 per cent since the 90s in some countries around the world.
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