Boost for transparency as highest ever rate of healthcare professionals named on Disclosure UK

Boost for transparency as highest ever rate of healthcare professionals named on Disclosure UK 

The proportion of named healthcare professionals (HCPs) in transparency data published on Disclosure UK has risen for the third year in a row, according to new 2022 data released today.    

The annual declaration of ‘transfers of value’ [1] made to healthcare organisations (HCOs) and healthcare professionals by pharmaceutical companies was published today on Disclosure UK [2] by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

An estimated 78.8% of individual healthcare professionals are named alongside the transfers of value they received for non-research & development (non-R&D) collaborations in 2022. This is an increase from 72.6% in 2021 and 68.1% in 2020. [3]

The total value of non-R&D spend was £201.6m, up 32.6% from the previous year. [4] The proportion of non-R&D spend disclosed against a named individual or healthcare organisation in 2022 was 95.1%, an increase on 93.8% in 2021 and 93.4% in 2020.

Research and development (R&D) collaborations account for 68.6% of the total value disclosed for 2022 (72.7% for 2021 and 71.5% for 2020). [5]

A total of £440.6m was disclosed by companies for R&D collaborations with healthcare professionals and healthcare organisations in 2022. This is up from £405.1m in 2021, an 8.8% increase.

A total of 145 pharmaceutical companies disclosed 2022 data via Disclosure UK, up from 139 companies the previous year. [6]

The overall increase in both R&D and non-R&D values in 2022 is likely to have been influenced by many factors, including inflation and activity levels increasing following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, as well as the greater number of companies disclosing data.

Within non-R&D activities, there have been increases in all categories of payments in 2022.  

Susan Rienow, President of the ABPI said: “Healthcare professionals are increasingly recognising the importance of transparency in their relationships.

“It’s great to see the progress that has been made and we will continue to encourage even more healthcare professionals to step up to Disclosure UK.

“Partnerships between the NHS and industry are a triple win; they help develop new medicines and vaccines, improve patient care, and benefit the NHS. We want to see these collaborations go from strength to strength.”

Disclosure gateways

Alongside the annual data publication for healthcare professionals and organisations, the ABPI has also launched a new disclosure ‘gateway’ on Disclosure UK, where links to information on company transfers of value to members of the public can be found.

The 2021 ABPI Code brought in a new requirement, starting with 2022 data published in 2023, that companies must make publicly available annually aggregated details of the fees for certain contracted services paid to members of the UK public, including patients and journalists. These services include speaking at meetings, assistance with training, writing articles and/or publications, participating in advisory boards, advising on the design etc of clinical trials and participating in market research where such participation involves remuneration and/or travel. (2021 ABPI Code, Clause 30.1)

The existing patient organisation disclosure gateway on Disclosure UK has also been updated with links to 2022 patient organisation information. Disclosure of information about industry’s work with patient organisations has been a requirement of the ABPI Code of Practice since 2006.

The disclosure gateways are a collection of hyperlinks which enable visitors to the Disclosure UK database to find and review patient organisation or members of the public disclosures on individual company websites.