In 2023 abroad and national pharmaceutical companies transferred a full of over half a billion PLN to Polish doctors, medical institutions, consulting companies, medical associations and foundations. Among the companies that made the biggest transfers are giants specified as AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Roche. These transfers are intended to finance R & D activities, as well as to cover training and symposia costs, frequently held abroad.
Transfer scale and destination
According to the analysis of Business Insider, last year pharmaceutical companies donated PLN 532 million to “R & D activities”. These funds went to a wide scope of beneficiaries, including doctors, consulting companies, medical and nursing organisations and foundations. Importantly, about 1 3rd of the full amount was allocated to pay for trainings and symposia, which frequently take place outside Poland and are characterised by advanced costs.
It is worth noting that national pharmaceutical companies are besides active in the transfer of funds, but their share of the full amount of transfers is small. Polish companies represent only about 4% of the full expenditure, which shows a crucial dominance of global giants in this area.
Doctors-recorders: Who received the most?
Among doctors who received the largest amounts from pharmaceutical companies, the owner of private medical practice from Wrocław stands out. GlaxoSmithKline, 1 of the leading pharmaceutical companies, donated PLN 116 1000 to this doctor in 2023, of which PLN 109 1000 was a remuneration for the services provided.
This example illustrates how large amounts can be transferred to individual doctors by global pharmaceutical companies. Of course, the level of specified transfers gives emergence to various opinions in society, especially in the context of possible conflicts of interest or professional ethics.
Conclusions and controversy
The flow of specified large financial resources from pharmaceutical companies to doctors and medical institutions raises questions about the impact of specified transfers on the independency of medical decisions. Can specified support lead to the preference of these companies by doctors? Is there a hazard that decisions to treat patients can be shaped by financial dependence?
Answers to these questions are crucial to maintaining assurance in wellness care. It is crucial that both doctors and medical institutions keep transparency about the resources they receive and guarantee that specified transfers do not affect their objectivity in deciding on patients' health.
Daniel Głogowski
Expert in his field – Publicist, author and social activist. The first articles were published in 1999 for global publishers. For more than 30 years, he has gained his experience through cooperation with the largest editorial offices. In his articles, he seeks to address controversial topics and present first viewpoints that allowed for a deeper knowing of the issues discussed.
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Polish medical sponsors of pharmaceutical companies. Among them, celebrated producers of C-19 spokes
