Pfizer to disclose US clinical trial payments
pharmafile | February 10, 2009 | News story | Medical Communications |Â Â ethicsÂ
Pfizer has announced plans to disclose payments to healthcare professionals involved in clinical trials.
The company will publicly declare all payments made in the US for work on its phase I-IV clinical trials.
Pfizer is the first pharma company to commit to this kind of disclosure, which builds on its recent policy of declaring payments made to opinion leaders for consulting and speaking engagements.
From July this year Pfizer's payments will be recorded, and the figures will be published online in early 2010, in the company's first annual update.
This will include payments to practising US physicians and other healthcare providers, as well as principal investigators, major academic institutions and clinical research sites.
The company is still working out the finer detail of the policy, but is considering reporting payments to individuals of more than $500 a year, and detailing non-monetary items, such as meals, that exceed $25 in value.
The company said the move demonstrates its commitment to "increased transparency and public candor".
"These collaborations are an essential part of medical progress," said Pfizer's chief executive Jeffrey Kindler. "Simply put, without these collaborations, Pfizer would not be able to continue delivering the medical innovations that the global health community has come to expect."
In 2008, Pfizer worked with almost 8,000 clinical investigators to conduct more than 280 studies of medicines. In common with industry practice the company makes payments to investigators and research institutions to compensate them for work done on the company's behalf.
Examples of payments include clinical development and commercial consulting, promotional speaking, phase I-IV clinical trials, investigator-initiated research as well as meals and other non-monetary items.
Pfizer's plans come ahead of proposed legislation in the US that would make the reporting of payments to physicians mandatory.
Pfizer and a number of other companies have already announced their intentions to reveal payments to physicians for opinion leader work, but Pfizer is the first to include clinical development work in its plans.
"We are committed to taking the steps necessary to achieve greater transparency in our interactions with US healthcare professionals," Kindler said.
"By disclosing payments to physicians, we are breaking down a major barrier and increasing the trust healthcare providers must have when prescribing our medicines. To be viewed as an open, candid and transparent company, we must address the concerns of our customers and take action. This new initiative does just that."
Related Stories:
Pfizer UK hints at disclosure of payments to doctors
Monday, January 19, 2009
Declaring doctor payments – what do stateside changes mean for UK pharma?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Lilly to reveal doctor payments
Friday, September 26, 2008
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