Advantages
For physicians
The overriding principle of ARPharM member companies is transparency. This means that there are clear rules for collaboration with healthcare professionals. This results in clear advantages for physicians:
Physicians need not do without the information and further training offered by the pharmaceutical industry, as this is solely based on objective scientific criteria.
For physicians, the ARPharM rules mean a strengthening of their work and the preservation of physician independence and freedom of therapy.
Physicians can be assured that they will receive scientifically based information that is vital for their practical therapy, thus serving the well-being of the patient.
Through transparency in collaboration, the appearance of conflicts of interest can be prevented at the onset.
For patients
Trust is the pillar of every physician-patient relationship. Through transparency in the collaboration among stakeholders in the healthcare field, the patient can be assured that any therapy prescribed by the physician will be useful and geared towards his well-being and not driven by economic interests.
Companies that have submitted to the ARPharM Codes have agreed to not influence the physician's freedom of procurement, therapy and decision-making in unethical ways.
With the disclosure of payments by pharmaceutical companies to healthcare professionals, patients have the opportunity to independently verify that there is ethically sound collaboration.
In the future, patients can review which physician is cooperating with which company, and for what purpose.
For the public
Public expectations concerning transparency of the system are ever increasing. In the public eye, the plausibility of all cooperation in the healthcare field is a topic under close scrutiny. The ARPharM Disclosure Code addresses this trend.
Through the publishing of payments, the nature and scope of the cooperation of pharmaceutical companies with healthcare professionals are rendered even more transparent.
In the future, everyone will be able to understand why a particular physician has entered into a working relationship with a certain company.
The ARPharM, its member companies and the physicians cooperating with them, are thus heeding the public call for more transparency.
