Transparency Guidelines for Relationships between Corporate Activities and Medical Institutions Q17. What are honoraria for lectures, fees for writing or supervising manuscripts, and fees for outsourcing consulting and other services?
Answer
Pharmaceutical companies contract with experts in various therapeutic areas to provide a wide range of information, including receiving advice from a professional perspective when developing new drugs and requesting them to give lectures and write manuscripts to ensure that their drugs are used safely and appropriately by patients. This refers to the cost of such contracted services.
Pharmaceutical Association member companies sometimes contract with experts in specific disease areas to provide advice from a professional perspective when companies plan the development of new drugs and the provision of post-marketing information. The selection criteria for experts and payment for these activities are based on the " Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan Code of Practice," the voluntary code of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan, and the "Fair Competition Code for the Ethical Drug Manufacturing and Marketing Industry" established by the Fair Trade Council of the Ethical Drug Manufacturing and Marketing Industry, etc. Each member company sets more specific rules and implements them.