Study: Health Advocacy Groups Don’t Always Disclose Drug Company Funding

The researchers noted that since these lobbying organizations often urge greater access to new drugs and treatments, these contributions should be made public.  

Reuters: Health Lobby Groups Mum On Drug Company Grants
Health advocacy groups that push for more research and funding for specific diseases often fail to disclose the financial support they get from drug companies, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. Since the groups often lobby lawmakers for greater access to new and costly drugs, they should be required to make these contributions public, Sheila Rothman of Columbia University and colleagues reported in the American Journal of Public Health (Steenhuysen, 1/13).

ProPublica: Health Advocacy Groups Take Drug Company Cash - Often Without Full Disclosures, Report Says
According to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health, not-for-profit health advocacy groups like the American Diabetes Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness also get money from drug companies in the form of grants that - more often than not - aren't disclosed by those groups (Wang, 1/13).

Modern Healthcare: Pharma Ties Often Hidden, Study Finds
Health advocacy organizations do a poor job of publicly disclosing their financial ties with the pharmaceutical industry, according to a new study published by the American Journal of Public Health (Barr, 1/13).