BMJ  2003;327:343-344 (9 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7410.343-c

Letter

Industry funding of patients' support groups

Objectives of patients, clinicians, and industry are similar

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—As the British umbrella organisation representing the interests of all people with skin diseases and their patients' groups, the Skin Care Campaign welcomed the balanced approach taken by Herxheimer in his article on the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and patients' organisations.1 However, we contest the argument that industry will if nothing else influence policy if it directly or indirectly funds a large part of the budget.

Resources are made available to the Skin Care Campaign by many organisations, including voluntary groups, and by professional organisations, including the British Association of Dermatologists, British Dermatological Nursing Group, Primary Care Dermatology Society, and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Most funding is received from a substantial number of companies—a funding consortium—which manufacture products of value to people with skin diseases.

We and those who fund us are absolutely clear about our policy that funds are donated with "no strings" for . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter M Lapsley, chief executive

Skin Care Campaign, London N19 5NA plapsley@eczema.org


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Relevant Article

Relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and patients' organisations
Andrew Herxheimer
BMJ 2003 326: 1208-1210. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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