More than 80 Percent of Patient-Advocacy Organizations are Pharma funded

Conflicts of Interest for Patient Groups

More than 80 percent of patient-advocacy organizations accept funding from drug and medical-device companies. For some patient groups, the donations from industry accounted for more than half of their annual income, and in nearly 40 percent of cases, industry executives sit on governing boards.

2017 Study Abstract

In this examination of 104 large patient-advocacy organizations, 83% receive financial support from drug, device, and biotechnology companies, and industry executives often serve on governing boards. The authors recommend more transparency about industry involvement.

More Information

  • Conflicts of Interest for Patient-Advocacy Organizations, The New England Journal of Medicine, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsr1610625, March 2, 2017.
  • More Than 80 Percent of Patient Groups Accept Drug Industry Funds, Study Shows, nytimes, MARCH 1, 2017.
  • Pharma Funded “Patient” Groups Keep Drug Prices Astronomical, counterpunch, MARCH 6, 2017.
  • Image credit brewlife, March 13, 2013.

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