Transparency Guidelines for Relationships between Corporate Activities and Patient Groups
On Formulation
May 25, 2022
Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
The mission of research-based pharmaceutical companies is to contribute to the improvement of health and healthcare for people around the world through the continuous creation and stable supply of innovative new medicines, thereby contributing to the realization of a healthy and comfortable society.
In recent years, the importance of "patient-participatory medicine" has been recognized, and efforts toward its realization have been considered and implemented in various fields. In order to fulfill the above mission, pharmaceutical companies recognize the need to understand and respond to the needs and concerns of patients and their families at every stage of the relationship between pharmaceutical products and patients, from the drug discovery stage to the promotion of appropriate use and safety measures for pharmaceutical products after marketing, and are increasingly working proactively and continuously with patient groups. There are increasing opportunities to collaborate with patient groups. In addition, both the government and the medical community have come to place greater importance on the "voice of the patient," and representatives of patient groups are increasingly participating as members of administrative authority committees and study groups.
As the voice and influence of patient groups increases in this way, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly required to continue to act with integrity and ensure transparency in order to gain a correct understanding from the general public regarding their collaboration with patient groups. Overseas, in 2007, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations adopted a Code of Conduct on the Relationship between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Patient Groups to ensure that the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and patient groups is ethical and transparent.
In this context, the JCIA believes that it is important to ensure greater transparency by disclosing information on financial support provided by member companies to patient groups under certain rules, and to gain widespread understanding that these activities are sincere and contribute to the activities and development of patient groups while ensuring a high level of ethical standards. In 2012, we established the "Transparency Guidelines for the Relationship between Corporate Activities and Patient Organizations".
Subsequently, at the APEC Business Ethics Forum held in Japan (Tokyo) in 2018, the "Consensus Framework for Ethical Partnerships in Japan," established by patient groups, the government, the medical community, and the pharmaceutical and medical device industry associations, promoted transparency and accountability in the The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has declared its commitment to promote transparency and accountability.
The JCIA will continuously review these guidelines to make them easier to understand and more in line with the times, and member companies will continue to use these guidelines as a reference to develop and faithfully implement their own transparency guidelines with patient groups.
Transparency Guidelines for Relationships between Corporate Activities and Patient Groups" (205KB)