In whose interest? Relationships between health consumer groups and the pharmaceutical industry in the UK
In whose interest? Relationships between health consumer groups and the pharmaceutical industry in the UK
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01109.x
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发表时间：
2008-09-01
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Jones, Kathryn
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jones, Kathryn
本文探讨了英国健康消费者团体在越来越多地参与政策过程的背景下如何披露和管理与制药公司的联系。特别是，它审查了工业界与团体接触以试图掌握团体的政策议程，从而增加工业界的政治影响力的说法。根据披露理论，对团体和行业网站的分析揭示了关系性质和范围的不同程度的细节。在已知接受行业财务或实物支持的消费者群体中，只有 26% 公开承认这一点。对消费者团体、行业和其他医疗保健利益相关者的代表进行的采访强调了两个部门之间目标的重合，承认合作是不可避免的，以及对管理利益冲突的政策指导方针的默认支持。该论文最后认为，虽然组织捕获的说法被夸大了，但大多数公司和团体所采用的肤浅的透明度方法强化了对不当影响的批评。这最终可能会降低政策制定者将消费者群体视为患者、用户和护理人员在政策过程中的合法声音的意愿。
This paper explores how health consumer groups in the UK disclose and manage links with pharmaceutical companies in the context of their growing involvement in the policy process. In particular, it examines claims that industry engages with groups in an attempt to capture the groups' policy agenda, thereby increasing industry's political influence. Drawing on theories of disclosure, analysis of group and industry websites revealed a varying level of detail on the nature and extent of relationships. Only 26 per cent of consumer groups known to be in receipt of industry financial or in-kind support openly acknowledged this. Interviews undertaken with representatives from consumer groups, industry and other health-care stakeholders, highlighted a coincidence of aims between the two sectors, an acknowledgement that collaboration was inevitable, and tacit support for policy guidelines to manage conflicts of interest. The paper concludes by arguing that while claims of organisational capture are over-stated, the shallow approach to transparency adopted by the majority of companies and groups strengthens critiques of undue influence. This may ultimately reduce policy makers' willingness to see consumer groups as the legitimate voice of patients, users and carers in the policy process.