With additional reporting by Gary Kavanagh.
The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) has published details on the fees and expenses paid out by the pharmaceutical sector to Health Care Professionals (HCPs) and Health Care Organisations (HCOs) operating in Ireland in 2020.
This includes doctors, nurses, GP’s, dentists, pharmacists, and other medical professionals. The payments cover costs associated with Research and Development (R&D); conferences, travel, accommodation, and registration; consultancy expenses; and direct donations, sponsorships of individuals and organisations, and grants.
Following an analysis of these payments, paid out by companies which include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Allergan and Servier Laboratories, Gript can reveal that the total amount paid out in 2020 to Irish HCPs and HCOs was €37 million.
The payments and reimbursements all fall under what are technically known as ‘Transfers of Value’ or ToVs – “a direct or indirect transfer of value, whether in cash, in kind or otherwise, made, whether for promotional purposes or otherwise, in connection with the development or sale of medicines.”
Pharmaceutical companies regularly pay HCPs to attend or speak at medical conferences. They also regularly sponsor events and initiatives held by HCOs.
€27 of the €37 million was spent on R&D; €4.3 million was spent on donations and grants to HCOs, with another €2.8 million spent on sponsorships. €435,000 was spent on registration fees; €283,000 was spent on covering travel expenses; €1.48 million was spent on consultancy fees, which includes fees paid to HCPs for speaking at, or chairing, events on behalf of pharmaceutical companies; and nearly €60,000 was spent on related expenses.
According to the IPHA, the publishing of transfer of value data is directed towards a number of important purposes, including demonstrating transparency in relation to the pharmaceutical industry’s relationships with HCPs, increasing public and patient confidence and promoting a culture of integrity.
Novartis Ireland Ltd was the highest spending company on donations and grants, spending €691,380 over the year. Pfizer was the top spender on travel and accommodation, spending €50,981.
In 2020, Pfizer paid out over €1,600,000 for R&D, and another €850,000 on non-R&D, related ToVs split between 176 HCPs and 41 HCOs. This included a donation/grant of €250,000 to the HSE, €77,000 in sponsorship to Trinity College Dublin, and €46,000 in mixed grants/donations and sponsorships to the Irish College of General Practitioners.
Four companies, Novartis, Janssen, Glaxosmithkline, and AstraZeneca, spent over €100,000 on consultancy fees during the year.