Financial support from drug and device companies presents potential conflicts of interest for patient advocacy groups, suggests a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
For the study, researchers examined the finances of 104 large nonprofit patient advocacy groups. All of the groups reported annual revenues of more than $7.5 million for 2014, The New York Times reports.
Researchers found 83 percent of patient advocacy groups receive financial support from drug, device and biotechnology companies. In fact, some groups receive more than half of their annual income via donations from the drug or device industry, according to the report.
Nearly "nine out of every 10 [groups] are taking money," Study author Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, an oncologist and vice provost at the University of Pennsylvania, said in the NYT article. "I think that is not well known — I think that is a shock."
Researchers also found nearly 40 percent of patient advocacy groups had industry executives sitting on their governing boards, according to the NYT.
Additionally, researchers said groups disclosed donations in different ways, according to the report. Some groups only revealed donation ranges, while others offered detailed notes on which companies donated and the amount of the donation, the report notes.
Patient advocacy groups dismissed the study finding in the NYT article.
"Patient advocacy organizations are driven by their missions — putting patients first," said Marc Boutin, CEO of the National Health Council, an umbrella organization for patient advocacy groups. "To say otherwise negates the extraordinary work achieved by these organizations on behalf of their patients."