Analyzed the Sunshine Act Open Payment database
American dermatologists received more than $34 million from industry in 2014, with most of that money coming from pharmaceutical companies. This is what emerges from a study published in 'Jama Dermatology', which bounces on 'Time'.
The researchers examined the Sunshine Act Open Payment database (for Medicare and Medicaid services), which lists payments dermatologists have received from drug companies reimbursed by a government program. In 2014, the study reports, 8,333 dermatologists received more than 208,000 payments.
And the 10% of professionals obtained the 90% of the total, explain the researchers directed by Hao Feng, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Medical Center. Most of the payments were for food and drinks, but the largest sums are attributable to fees for interventions such as speakers at meetings and congresses, consultancy and research (70% of total expenditure).
“Recently there has been an increased focus on the interaction between physicians and industry, and the emphasis on transparency of these interactions has increased,” notes Feng.
Margherita Lopes – 7 October 2016 – PharmaKronos
Related news: Exploring the Industry-Dermatologist Financial Relationship
