Pharmaceutical Company Disclosures
'Dollars For Docs'
Pharmaceutical sales in the United States totaled $300 billion in 2009. Below is a summary of the top pharmaceutical companies ranked by U.S. drug sales and their status for disclosing payments made to physicians and other health practitioners for marketing and promotion.
| Company | 2009 Sales | Disclosure Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pfizer | $27.8 billion | Began posting information (including payments for clinical research) in March 2010. | The company also posts information about grants for medical education, lobbying and contributions. Agreed to release the information as part of a September 2009 settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. |
| Merck & Co. | $19.8 billion | Began releasing information in October 2009. |
The company also posts grants, political contributions and charitable contributions. |
| AstraZeneca | $19.8 billion | Began releasing information in August 2010. |
Agreed to release the information as part of an April 2010 settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. |
| GlaxoSmithKline | $15 billion | Began releasing information in December 2009. | The company also posts grants and charitable contributions and plans to disclose grants for clinical trials starting in 2010. |
| Roche | $14.3 billion | Does not post physician payments. |
Began posting grants for medical education in August. |
| Novartis | $13.4 billion | Agreed to release the information by March 2011 as part of a September 2010 settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. |
|
| Eli Lilly | $13.2 billion | Began releasing information in July 2009. |
The company also posts grants and charitable contributions. Agreed to release the information as part of a January 2009 settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. |
| Johnson & Johnson | $12.8 billion | Began posting information in June 2010 by division, not centrally. | The divisions also post grants for medical education and charitable contributions. |
| Amgen Corp. | $12.5 billion | Does not post physician payments. |
|
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA | $12.1 billion |
Has not responded to requests for comment. |
|
| Sanofi-Aventis | $11.1 billion | Does not post physician payments. |
|
| Abbott Laboratories | $9.5 billion | Does not post physician payments. |
From a company statement: “Abbott began voluntarily disclosing grants and donations greater than $200 to U.S. medical organizations beginning with the third quarter of 2008.” |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | $8.9 billion | Does not post physician payments. |
From a company statement: “We also are preparing to publish information about our payments to physicians in all states as required by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. I am unable to provide a specific date for publishing the information, but we will do so by March 1, 2012, as the law requires.” |
| Takeda | $7.9 billion | Declined to comment on whether it would post payments. |
|
| Boehringer Ingel | $7.6 billion | Has not responded to requests for comment. |
More From Dollars For Docs: How Pharma Money Influences Physician Prescriptions
More From Dollars For Docs: How Pharma Money Influences Physician Prescriptions
Comments
You must be signed in to leave a comment. Sign In / Register
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.
