english.prescrire.org > Spotlight > Archives : 2012 > Drug research financed independently of pharmaceutical companies: for better patient care

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Drug research financed independently of pharmaceutical companies: for better patient care

Financing of drug research by pharmaceutical companies has numerous drawbacks. Independent clinical trials should be developed, in the interest of patients. A conference-debate on this theme was held at Prescrire's annual "Pilule d'Or" ("Golden Pill")  awards ceremony, which took place in Paris on 26 January 2012.

Independent French journal la revue Prescrire organised its annual "Pilule d’Or" ("Golden Pill") awards ceremony in Paris on 26 January 2012. A conference-debate devoted to the theme of independent financing for drug research was held, featuring: 

  • Marc-André Gagnon, Assistant Professor at Carleton University (Canada) and researcher at Harvard University (USA), pointed out that drug regulatory agencies rely upon data supplied by pharmaceutical companies in order to grant or refuse marketing authorisations. Therefore pharmaceutical companies, whose future sales depend upon getting new drugs onto the market, include clinical trials in their marketing plans, with frequent publication of positive results, while concealing negative results, and when necessary intimidating researchers, etc. Companies' research is in large degree financed by the public, most notably in the form of tax credits: yet another reason to require research practices that are less biased by commercial interests.
    > Download the text of the presentation (pdf in French, 127  Ko).
    > Watch the videos (in French)
     
  • A presentation submitted by Martine Ruggli of the Swiss pharmacists association (Société suisse des pharmaciens) demonstrated that clinical research independent of pharmaceutical companies already exists. Based on 3 examples, she showed that independent comparative trials are particularly useful for the quality of care because they are long-term, taking into account large samples of the population, and use the right comparators and outcome measures that are relevant to daily practice.
    > Download the text of the presentation (pdf in French, 111 Ko).
    > Watch the videos (in French)

  • Germán Velásquez, former director of the World Health Organization (WHO) and currently an advisor to the South Centre, described plans for a binding convention for R&D for pharmaceutical products, which would aim to better meet the health needs of the world's population by depending on publicly funded research and unlinking the price of drugs from the costs of research, so as to permit the greatest number of people to useful new medicines.
    > Download the text of the presentation (pdf in French, 109 Ko).
    > Watch the video (in French)

Learn about the 2011 Prescrire Awards
Prescrire's Annual awards: drugs, packaging, information
> Free

©Prescrire 26 January 2012

 
See also:

The 2011 Prescrire Awards
(February 2012)
Free

Prescrire Awards
Prescrire Int 2012;
21 (125): 78-82.
Pdf, free

See also :

Videos of the presentations
delivered atthe annual
Prescrire Awards ceremony
Free (in French)

Rules governing the
Prescrire Awards
Pdf in French, free

Why the rising costs of
pharmaceutical research?
Prescrire Int 2003;
12 (63): 32.
Pdf, subscribers only

Research on neglected
diseases almost
at a standstill
Prescrire Int 2003;
12 (63): 32.
Pdf, subscribers only

Scientific misconduct in
biomedical research
Prescrire Int 2006
15 (85): 196.
Pdf, free

Clinical research:
for whose benefit?
Prescrire Int 2010
19 (106): 52.
Pdf, free

Declaration of Helsinki
World Medical Association
Pdf, free