Transparency Guidelines for Relationships between Corporate Activities and Medical Institutions Q18. What are lecture meeting fees?
Answer
In order to ensure that drugs are used safely and appropriately by patients, pharmaceutical companies request experts in the therapeutic area to give lectures and other presentations to provide information on safety and proper use to medical professionals. The costs of such lectures are disclosed as lecture fees.
Member companies of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) hold academic lectures and other events hosted by companies or co-hosted with medical-related organizations to provide medical professionals with scientific information on medicine and pharmaceutical science, including information on the proper use of their own pharmaceutical products. Although pharmaceutical products are approved and launched after their quality, efficacy, and safety are confirmed through a rigorous approval process, the sharing of objective information based on scientific evidence after launch is extremely important for optimal patient care, and scientific lecture meetings are important as a venue where such information is shared appropriately and continuously. The venue and transportation expenses for these scientific lectures and other events will be disclosed as lecture fees. These expenses are stipulated in the " Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association 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, among others.