OBJECTIVE To understand and report on the nature of patient group interactions with the pharmaceutical industry from the perspective of patient group representatives by exploring the range of attitudes towards pharmaceutical industry sponsorship and how, why, and when interactions occur. DESIGN Empirical qualitative interview study informed by ethics theory. SETTING Australian patient groups. PARTICIPANTS 27 participants from 23 Australian patient groups that represented diverse levels of financial engagement with the pharmaceutical industry. Groups were focused on general health consumer issues or disease specific topics, and had regional or national jurisdictions. ANALYSIS Analytic techniques were informed by grounded theory. Interview transcripts were coded into data driven categories. Findings were organised into new conceptual categories to describe and explain the data, and were supported by quotes. RESULTS A range of attitudes towards pharmaceutical industry sponsorship were identified that are presented as four different types of relationship between patient groups and the pharmaceutical industry. The dominant relationship type was of a successful business partnership, and participants described close working relationships with industry personnel. These participants acknowledged a potential for adverse industry influence, but expressed confidence in existing strategies for avoiding industry influence. Other participants described unsatisfactory or undeveloped relationships, and some participants (all from general health consumer groups) presented their groups' missions as incompatible with the pharmaceutical industry because of fundamentally opposing interests. Participants reported that interactions between their patient group and pharmaceutical companies were more common when companies had new drugs of potential interest to group members. Patient groups that accepted industry funding engaged in exchanges of "assets" with companies. Groups received money, information, and advice in exchange for providing companies with marketing, relationship building opportunities with key opinion leaders, coordinated lobbying with companies about drug access and subsidy, assisting companies with clinical trial recruitment, and enhancing company credibility. CONCLUSIONS An understanding of the range of views patient groups have about pharmaceutical company sponsorship will be useful for groups that seek to identify and manage any ethical concerns about these relationships. Patient groups that receive pharmaceutical industry money should anticipate they might be asked for specific assets in return. Selective industry funding of groups where active product marketing opportunities exist might skew the patient group sector's activity towards pharmaceutical industry interests and allow industry to exert proxy influence over advocacy and subsequent health policy.

中文翻译：

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“资产交换”-患者群体与制药行业之间的相互作用：澳大利亚的定性研究。

目的通过探讨对制药行业赞助的态度范围以及互动方式，原因和时间，从患者团体代表的角度了解并报告患者团体与制药行业互动的性质。设计伦理学理论为基础的实证定性访谈研究。设置澳大利亚患者组。参与者来自23个澳大利亚患者群体的27名参与者，代表了与制药行业不同程度的财务往来。小组的重点是一般健康消费者问题或疾病特定主题，并具有地区或国家管辖权。分析分析技术以扎根的理论为基础。访谈笔录被编码为数据驱动类别。结果被组织成新的概念类别以描述和解释数据，并用引号支持。结果确定了对制药行业赞助的一系列态度，这些态度被表示为患者群体与制药行业之间的四种不同类型的关系。主要的关系类型是成功的商业伙伴关系，与会人员描述了与行业人员的紧密工作关系。这些参与者承认可能会对行业产生不利影响，但对避免行业影响的现有策略充满信心。其他参与者描述了不满意或不发达的关系，一些参与者（全部来自一般健康消费群体）介绍了他们的群体 由于根本上存在利益冲突，因此与制药行业不兼容的任务。参与者报告说，当公司拥有组成员可能感兴趣的新药时，他们的患者小组与制药公司之间的互动更为普遍。接受行业资助的患者团体与公司进行“资产”交换。各团体获得了金钱，信息和建议，以换取为公司提供市场营销，与主要意见领袖建立关系的机会，与公司就药物获取和补贴进行协调的游说，协助公司进行临床试验招聘以及提高公司信誉。结论了解患者团体对制药公司赞助的看法范围将有助于寻求识别和管理有关这些关系的任何伦理问题的团体。收到制药业资金的患者团体应该期望他们会被要求提供特定资产作为回报。对存在积极产品营销机会的团体的选择性行业资助可能会使患者团体部门的活动偏向制药行业利益，并允许该行业对倡导和随后的卫生政策施加代理影响。