The number of specialists receiving cash payments and educational subsidies from industry is again in the spotlight, with researchers identifying nine specialties where over a quarter of doctors have recently benefited from pharma largesse.
Always controversial, the issue has been raised in a paper that reveals some 6504 doctors, or nearly 5% of those currently registered in Australia, received a payment or transfer of value from a pharmaceutical company in the three years to October 2022.
The figures were extracted from transparency reports published by Medicines Australia member companies and include subsidised registration fees, travel costs, or fees for service. Payments for food, beverages or research are excluded.
Some $33.44 million was paid or transferred all up, ranging from $36 to $299,161 at a median value of $1500, according to the report, published in the MJA this month (link here).
But the main concern is the high representation of certain specialties, say the authors, led by pharmaceutical industry researcher Professor Barbara Mintzes of the University of Sydney.
Leading the list were rheumatologists, 67% of whom received a subsidy over the three years of data analysed.
This was followed by respiratory and sleep medicine (42%), haematology and oncology (41%) and endocrinology (37%), but all up there were nine specialties in total with greater than 25% coverage, the researchers found.
Other specialties with high representation included neurology and cardiology (each 35%), nephrology (28%), gastroenterology and dermatology (each 26%).