Should patient groups accept money from the pharmaceutical industry?
Should patient groups accept money from the pharmaceutical industry?
Survey: Should patient groups accept money from the pharmaceutical industry?
Patient groups provide valuable support and advocacy for vulnerable people, but funding the work can be difficult. Alastair Kent argues that not accepting industry money will limit the groups’ effectiveness, but Barbara Mintzes believes that the money undermines their independence.
In the week after publication of these articles, we conducted an online poll, asking whether patient groups should accept money from drug companies.
The final result, with 230 respondents, was:
|
Yes |
16% |
|
No |
84% |
Why people voted the way they did:
“I do not think patient groups can guarantee their independence if they are beholden to industry funding. It's a conflict of interest. As a patient/consumer, I wouldn't trust their information.”
“Patient groups should be as free from bias as possible, to maintain their credibility and effectivity.”
“Same reason doctors should not.”
Who were our respondents (top five
categories)?
|
Medically qualified doctors |
46% |
|
Other healthcare professional or student |
15% |
|
Academic researcher |
13% |
|
Member of the public |
7% |
|
Patient or patient support group |
6% |
Which country were our respondents from (top five)?
|
United Kingdom |
30.0% |
|
Canada |
12% |
|
France |
10% |
|
United States |
7% |
|
Australia |
7% |
What's new
Online poll
Services
Print issues
