E-drug: HAI Europe: corporate sponsorship and EU patients & consumers policy
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Press Release
Corporate sponsorship linked to EU patient and consumer groups' policy
perspectives
1 February 2011
HAI Europe's latest research has established a link between patient and
consumer groups' perspectives on EU medicines policies and the funding
they receive from the pharmaceutical industry. Worryingly, these
findings highlight the potential for the erosion of the patient and
consumer voice in pharmaceutical policy debates at the European level.
Currently under debate, this EU legislative proposal, known as
Information to Patients Directive and Regulation, could loosen the
controls on medicines information generated by the pharmaceutical
industry, allowing companies to communicate directly with patients about
its products.
The research, published yesterday, analysed the responses given by 12
patient and consumer organisations, eligible to work with the European
Medicines Agency, to a questionnaire concerning this particular
proposal. Relevant policy documents from 14 organisations were also
examined. The overall analysis was then contrasted with the corporate
sponsorship these groups received. Final results showed that those
organisations receiving company funding supported an expanded role of
the pharmaceutical industry as an information provider.
"This latest research suggests that corporate financing could jeopardise
the unique voice of patients and consumers in specific policy debates,"
said Katrina Perehudoff, HAI Europe Project Officer.
"From these findings we recommend that public institutions pay
considerable attention to democratic participation of patients and
consumers in medicines policy," she adds.