Why do pharmaceutical companies sponsor education?
Pharmaceutical companies support the enhancement of medical knowledge and the quality use of medicines through sponsoring independently organised educational activities. These educational activities are primarily offered by learned societies, colleges, universities and other recognised healthcare professional organisations.
How are these events conducted?
These events are organised independently of the sponsoring pharmaceutical company. Sponsorship is provided by companies to support running the event. In many cases, a single sponsorship amount is provided to the organisers. Pharmaceutical companies must be fully aware of the activities that their sponsorship will support and must be satisfied that they meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct.
The third party organising the meeting should independently determine the educational content, select the speakers and invite the attendees. Pharmaceutical companies should, however, ensure that the educational content of the event is consistent with their responsibilities under the Code of Conduct. The sponsoring company may also propose a speaker or speakers for a meeting they are sponsoring, but the final choice remains the responsibility of the third party organising the event.
Company Reports Summary
Below is a summary of the reports for the period 1 May 2024 – 31 October 2024.
| Number of Companies transparently reporting | 33 |
| Aggregate number of events sponsored *Some events may be sponsored by a number of companies and therefore one event may be reported more than once |
2026 |
| Aggregate hours of education supported by sponsorships *Represents total number of educational hours sponsored. As some events may be sponsored by a number of companies, an ‘educational hour’ may be reported more than once |
17,713 |
| Aggregate number of healthcare professionals in attendance *Represents total number of healthcare professionals attending the sponsored educational events. Some events may be sponsored by a number of companies and therefore a healthcare professional may be reported more than once |
654,365 |
| Total amount of sponsorship provided | $24,305,357 |
Member Company Reports are available here