Medical royal colleges do not always disclose publicly the millions of pounds they receive from drug and medical device companies. Critics say voluntary industry transparency initiatives don’t go far enough. Hristio Boytchev reports
Royal colleges in the UK have received more than £9m in marketing payments from drug and medical devices companies since 2015, an analysis by The BMJ has found. The Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners were the biggest recipients of industry money, the investigation found.
The BMJ asked the colleges to disclose all payments from industry, campaign groups, or patient associations, including the specific amount received from each donor, but they all refused to do so. The colleges are not obliged to disclose these payments; they are not included in their annual reports and are only available through voluntary industry transparency initiatives, which experts say have severe limitations.
Industry payments have become c