Medical Communication Companies and Industry Grants

Rothman, Sheila M.; Brudney, Karen; Adair, Whitney; Rothman, David J.

doi:10.1001/jama.2013.281638

Cited by 14 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…Independently of legal requirements, we believe that scientific societies should provide data on industry support of CME activity spontaneously, and should post it on their websites. This seems particularly important when the organisations delivering CME activity, which is a source of income for the provider, do not have independent headquarters, but are hosted by professional congress organisers who may receive money also from pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of medical devices, 23 24 or when advertisements or links to industry products are included in their websites. However, without a formal evaluation of CME ‘products’ (ie, scientific quality and compliance with society mandate), no conclusions can be drawn.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proliferation of gynaecological scientific societies and their financial transparency: an Italian survey

Vercellini

Viganò²,

Frattaruolo

et al. 2016

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesTo determine the number of Italian obstetrical and gynaecological societies, and to ascertain their financial transparency.DesignInternet-based national survey and website content analysis.ParticipantsCurrently active, not privately owned, non-religious, apolitical, obstetrical and gynaecological associations.MethodsFrom October 2014 to June 2015, scientific societies were identified using combinations of search terms, and examining the website of the two main Italian obstetrical and gynaecological organisations. Individual societies’ websites were scrutinised by two independent investigators.Primary and secondary outcome measuresNumber of Italian obstetrical and gynaecological associations and its variation over time; 12 information categories defining the general characteristics of the societies and their websites, and the financial transparency of the associations.ResultsThe initial web search yielded 56 professional obstetrical and gynaecological associations but nine were excluded for various reasons. Of the remaining 47 professional associations, 17 covered both obstetrics and gynaecology, four were specialised in obstetrics, 26 in gynaecology and 46 provided continuing medical education (CME) activities. The number of societies has quadrupled in the last 35 years, increasing at a mean rate of one additional society per year. The headquarters of the associations were located in the offices of a professional congress organiser in 15 instances, and advertisements or links to industry products were present in 12 societies’ websites. Bylaws were accessible in 32 websites. No information was publicly available regarding competing interests, financial statements and quantitative external funding.ConclusionsThe number of obstetrical and gynaecological societies is remarkably high in Italy, particularly in the gynaecological area. Despite CME activity provision, transparency of societies regarding financial issues and competing interests was almost non-existent. Policies addressing the interactions between medical associations and industry are available and should be implemented.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proliferation of gynaecological scientific societies and their financial transparency: an Italian survey

Vercellini

Viganò²,

Frattaruolo

et al. 2016

BMJ Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although a few have rigorous policies, most have yet to reduce their reliance on industry funding or to make certain that activities such as formulating practice guidelines are completely independent of industry influence. By the same token, patient advocacy organizations still obfuscate their financial ties to industry, as do medical communication companies that organize continuing medical education (CME) courses …”

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confidence: 99%