The BMJ's Editor-in-Chief, Kamran Abbasi, is urging the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and its member institutions to set a benchmark for transparently disclosing payments received from the medical and patient group industry. This appeal comes in response to a recent investigation conducted by The BMJ into these payments.
The investigation, published by The BMJ in July, unearthed that royal colleges, entrusted with the education and training of doctors and healthcare professionals, had received over £9 million in payments from pharmaceutical and medical device companies since 2015. However, the investigation found discrepancies in publicly disclosing these payments in their annual reports.
In an open letter addressed to these institutions, Kamran Abbasi emphasizes that "transparency is the bare minimum requirement for managing conflicts of interest." He further asserts that royal colleges should not solely rely on industry-driven transparency initiatives, which many believe do not extend far enough.
Abbasi urges royal colleges to "assume the lead in comprehensively and uniformly revealing industry funding." He suggests that the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the governing body for medical royal colleges and faculties, could spearhead this effort.
Presently, there is no standardized guidance for medical institutions concerning the comprehensive transparency of payments received from the medical and other related sectors.
Abbasi contends that enhanced transparency would bolster confidence in the undertakings of royal colleges, fostering informed conversations amongst their members and the general public regarding the governance and conditions surrounding these payments.
He states in the letter, "Evidence demonstrates that clinicians' prescribing practices are influenced by industry marketing, prompting the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland to cease sponsorship from drug companies in 2012."
The investigative efforts of The BMJ were constrained to industry databases to unearth some of the payments from drug and medical device companies directed to royal colleges. However, these databases provide only a partial view of the accepted funds, the purpose of these payments, and their intended use.
Payments are categorized broadly, data are purged after three years, and payments from other sectors, including food, software, data analysis, and medical equipment companies, remain untracked.
Moreover, during the process of validating the calculated figures with colleges, several institutions experienced difficulties confirming the precise amounts. Solely the Royal College of Anaesthetists was able to furnish The BMJ with a comprehensive list of payments received from each company.
The investigation disclosed that the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners were the leading beneficiaries of funds from drug and device companies between 2015 and 2022, each receiving approximately £3 million. Last year, the Royal College of General Practitioners declared intentions to publish a complete list of sponsor payments by 2024.
In May, the Department of Health and Social Care for England introduced a public consultation on mandatory disclosure of industry payments to the healthcare sector, mirroring the system under the US's Physician Payments Sunshine Act.
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