GSK kicks off global transparency campaign in Australia

As part of the global drive by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to improve transparency in relations with healthcare professionals, the company’s Australian arm will work towards publicly declaring how much it pays individual doctors and other healthcare professionals.

In a first step in this direction GSK has announced that it will declare total payments that it makes to healthcare professionals in Australia, starting with the release next month of 2010 data for all grants, donations, sponsorships, and consultancy fees.

“We will be the first pharmaceutical company in Australia to disclose a total amount of payments made to healthcare professionals,” said Deborah Waterhouse, the general manager of GlaxoSmithKline Australia, in a statement.

“We see this as a critical important step at the start of an era for pharmaceutical companies where …