LIF explains new rules for Danish health care professionals and Pharma relations

In Denmark, new rules took effect on Saturday, November 1 to ensure greater transparency about relations between pharma and medtech companies on the one hand and health care professionals on the other.

The Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Lif) is working together with various commercial and professional organizations to provide information about the new rules.

Collaboration between companies and doctors and nurses, generally known as healthcare professionals, is essential to be able to develop new medicines and new technology to improve treatments for patients.

Transparency is important

One precondition for good relations is transparency. That is why the eight organizations are now giving their backing to the new, stricter rules for relations between health care professionals and the industry. The rules mean that the general public can see on the Danish Health and Medicines Authority's website which health care professionals collaborate with which companies and whether these individuals have shares in a pharma or medtech company.

"When nurses work with the industry to develop our health service, it helps developments go the right way. But it is important to have full transparency about relations because transparency cuts the risk of dependency. Nurses' independence from the industry increases patient confidence, states Grete Christensen, president of the Danish Nurses' Organization (DNO), a view shared by Mads Koch Hansen, president of the Danish Medical Association. "The Medical Association fundamentally supports the new rules on transparency. Doctors and other health care professionals have a major interest in clear rules for their essential collaboration with the industry."