Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17559

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Electronic Source

Silverman E
Pfizer Discloses Payments To Doctors
Pharmalot 2010 May 31
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/03/pfizer-discloses-payments-to-doctors/

Full text:

Pfizer joins a growing list of companies that are disclosing what they pay to physicians for consulting and speaking, as well as meals and other goodies worth more than $25. Pfizer is also reporting payments for clinical trial work. Others that publish various payments include GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly and Merck.
The Pfizer move comes in response, in part, to a Corporate Integrity Agreement reached last year for off-label marketing of various drugs, but also anticipates the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which was wrapped into the health care reform bill and requires disclosure by drugmakers.
The Pfizer site contains data from July through December 2009 concerning work with about 4,500 healthcare professionals resulting in total payments of $35 million, including payments for meals or ‘non-monetary’ educational items worth $25 or more and totaling $500 or more during that period. About 1,500 healthcare professionals were paid an average of $5,000, and about 2,800 who served as speakers were paid an average of $3,400, according to Pfizer. Both speakers and attendees were also provided meals.
Almost 44 percent of the total went to about 250 research organizations. In total, Pfizer reported payments of approximately $15.3 million to these institutions for all new clinical trials initiated after July 1, 2009 as well as clinical trial payments made between July 1 and December 31, 2009 to academic medical centers for ongoing or new research. These payments cover participant recruitment, coordinating and conducting clinical trials and completing compliance activities.
Pfizer says it will post its next report on March 31, 2011 and include a full year of data for 2010. And that report will be expanded to include the value of all ‘financial interactions including non-monetary items, such as meals and educational things, regardless of value,’ according to Pfizer. The payment report will be posted quarterly beginning in June 2011.