Voluntary disclosures of payments from pharmaceutical companies to healthcare professionals in Germany: a descriptive study of disclosures in 2015 and 2016

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyse voluntary payment reports of pharmaceutical companies to German healthcare professionals (HCPs) in 2015 and 2016 based on an industry-self-regulating transparency codex.Design and participantsCohort study of all German HCPs who voluntarily agreed that at least one payment they received in 2015 and 2016 from pharmaceutical companies is disclosed.Main outcome measuresNumber of HCPs who disclosed at least one payment in the database; separated by year of disclosure and whether they disclosed once or repeatedly. Amount of disclosed payments and distribution parameters of disclosed annual payment sums per person; separated by year of disclosure und whether they disclosed once or repeatedly.Results28 230 HCPs agreed to the disclosure of at least one payment in the database. In 2015, 19 905 HCPs agreed to the disclosure, decreasing to 15 782 HCPs in 2016. Whereas 7457 disclosed payments in both years, 12 448 disclosed only in 2015 and 8325 only in 2016. Payments of €32 426 721 in 2015 and €23 289 343 in 2016 were disclosed, that is, 27% and 23% of the total amounts spent on HCPs, respectively. Distribution of annual payments was skewed: the top 1% of HCPs disclosed annual payment sums between €17 049 and €200 194, while the median disclosed annual payment sum per person was €536 (IQR €1092). Disclosed payments were higher in male physicians and in physicians with higher academic degree.ConclusionsIf voluntary, disclosure rates of payments are low and therefore only provide a fragmented picture of interactions between HCPs and pharmaceutical companies. Efforts must be intensified to ensure obligatory disclosure of all payments worldwide.

Accessibility and quality of drug company disclosures of payments to healthcare professionals and organisations in 37 countries: a European policy review

“…For example, analyses of Disclosure UK revealed inconsistencies in reporting of payment values and recipients, 21 24 compounded by the absence of unique recipient identifiers. 38 Similar shortcomings, including duplicate entries, were found in Germany, 26 indicating that they might characterise self-regulation more broadly.…”

“…4 6 Finally, one country, the Netherlands, has been identified as using a combination of self and public regulation, with the disclosure regulations developed with government's input, but lacking a legal basis and enforced via self-regulation. 4 The scrutiny of European payment data has been limited, except for case studies of payment distribution in the UK, 21 24 Germany 26 and Ireland, 27 and a comparative analysis of payments shares not disclosed by recipients in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland and Spain. 28 However, France is the sole country where relationships between payments and prescribing have been investigated.…”

“…eu. Inspired by a similar German project, 26 eurosfordocs. eu integrates data disclosed separately by many companies in several countries with self-regulation.…”

Awareness and perceptions among members of a Japanese cancer patient advocacy group concerning the financial relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and physicians: a mixed-methods analysis of survey data

“…[2–6] Key criteria of patient-centered care include full transparency and fast delivery of information. [7–9] In the world today, there are transparency initiatives such as the Sunshine Act and Open Payments Database in the United States (US),[10–12] Transparency in Healthcare in France,[5] Euro for Doctors and LeitlinienWatch in Germany,[13, 14] Disclosure UK in the United Kingdom,[15–17] Disclosure Australia in Australia,[18, 19] and Money Database in Japan,[2, 20, 21], all of which emphasize improving transparency and raising awareness of FCOI among patients and the general public to achieve excellent patient-centered care.…”

Awareness and Perceptions among Members of a Japanese Cancer Patient Advocacy Group Concerning the Financial Relationships between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Physicians

“…Key criteria of patient-centred care include full transparency and fast delivery of information [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Globally, there are transparency initiatives such as the Sunshine Act and Open Payments Database in the United States (US) [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], Transparency in Healthcare in France [ 5 ], Euro for Doctors and LeitlinienWatch in Germany [ 13 , 14 ], Disclosure UK in the United Kingdom [ 15 , 16 , 17 ], Disclosure Australia [ 18 , 19 ], and the Money Database in Japan [ 2 , 20 , 21 ]. These initiatives all emphasize improving transparency and raising awareness of FCOI among patients and the general public to enhance patient-centred care.…”