Sarunas Narbutas

Šarunas Narbutas is a lawyer specialising in life sciences. He was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) at age 18. This led him to mount a successful campaign for the introduction of modern, effective treatment for all CML patients in Lithuania. Between 2010 and 2013 he served as a board member on the European Cancer Patient Coalition, and in 2013 he took on a voluntarily role as president of POLA (Lithuanian Cancer Patient Coalition). Šarunas has participated as a patient advocate speaker/moderator in more than 30 high level conferences throughout Europe and led debate on cancer related issues at national and EU level. He serves on an advisory board to the minister of health, and is a member of a reimbursement committee (similar to NICE's appraisal committee) and several governmental working groups. He is also a PhD candidate at Vilnius University's law faculty and lectures on health law, EU law, and public international law.

Declaration of interests

Have you in the past five years accepted the following from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of papers in the BMJ?

1) Reimbursement for attending a symposium?
Yes, I have been reimbursed four times in the past five years by professional organisations for expenses incurred in attending conferences in connection with a speaking engagement.

2) A fee for speaking?
No.

3) A fee for organising education?
No.

4) Funds for research?
No.

5) Funds for a member of staff?
No.

6) Fees for consulting?
No.

7) Have you in the past five years been employed by any organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of papers in the BMJ?
No.

8) Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation?
Not in a health care related organization (other than shares held by mutual funds in my retirement plan).

9) Do you have any other competing financial interests?
No.

I have the following competing interests:

I am working in the law firm, which may from time to time provide legal services to the organisations that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of papers in The BMJ.