Restore the confidence of the French in health professionals. This is the mission that the Minister of Health Marisol Touraine has set for herself after the health scandals such as the Mediatorwhere the PIP prostheses. With this in mind, the first public database www.transparence.sante.gouv.frhas just been launched. Transparency santé lists all the links of interest between companies that market health or cosmetic products and health professionals. With this site, the government is playing the transparency card and hopes to prevent conflicts of interest in the health sector.
However, there is no question of prohibiting any relationship between health actor and company since this “this complementarity […] advances science and allows therapeutic progress “, points out the Minister. No, it is a question of guaranteeing the independence of the decisions taken in the health sector by making public the advantages and other existing relations between companies and actors of the health.
The information provided
Concretely, any advantage (donation of equipment, transport, accommodation, etc.) granted by a company to a professional with a value greater than or equal to 10 euros and any convention or agreement (for example participation in a congresses, research activities, training, etc.) linking a company to a professional.
With this public database, the government is pushing the existing legislation a little further, the so-called “health products” law of December 29, 2011 and its implementing decree (known as the “Sunshine Act”) of May 21, 2013. This law and this decree make compulsory the publication of the relations of interest maintained between companies and health professionals, associations, learned societies and the press.
Who will fill this database?
It is up to the companies to declare the information contained in the database. This information is updated on the site twice a year and remains accessible for five years. Companies are responsible for the accuracy of published content, said the Ministry of Health in a press release.
Companies resistant to this obligation to declare links of interest will be fined. They are exposed to penalties of up to 45,000 euros.
Do you think this site will help prevent other health scandals? To your comments here!