Transparency of conflicts of interest

Transparency of conflicts of interest

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Transparency of conflicts of interest

As a pharmaceutical firm, Expanscience is directly affected by the Bertrand Act. The purpose of this law is to encourage transparency in relation to conflicts of interest between healthcare professionals and manufacturers in the sector. How is this regulatory compliance implemented and what are its consequences?

Transparency of conflicts of interest

Special relationships

How Expanscience works with healthcare professionals

Laboratoires Expanscience is supported by the expertise of healthcare professionals. They help us to meet patients' requirements, guarantee the safety and efficacy of our products and support scientific progress. We mainly call upon them for three reasons.

  • Get the experts involved right from the early stages of a product's development

Healthcare professionals help us perform vital clinical trials when assessing the safety and efficacy of our products. These experts are involved in identifying the therapeutic needs, protocols and patients concerned. Throughout these trials, they monitor the patients. They are also involved in publishing the results.
We may also sometimes be required to support researchers by subsidising their work in the various therapeutic areas in which we operate. Working with healthcare professionals in this way enables them to work with real medicines or pharmaceutical specialities, and to expand their knowledge of diseases and of patients' needs.

  • Get expert advice from healthcare professionals

When we want to share information with doctors, pharmacists or patients, we involve healthcare professionals who have been recruited for their expertise in our discussions. The aim is to tailor our information to meet the needs of the target that we want to reach. The doctors we consult also ensure that patients' interests are properly represented in our strategies. Their approval is also confirmation that our publications are reliable.

  • Showcase their expertise at conferences, symposiums or roundtables

At events attended by bodies involved in healthcare, we try and get healthcare professionals to present the results of our research, or our new products, etc. In such cases, we make it clear if there is any conflict of interest that links us to the healthcare professional in question before they say anything. What they say is based on scientific data and is in compliance with current regulations in the country in question.

In France, our collaborations with healthcare professionals are governed by the Conseil National de l’Ordre des Médecins (France's National Medical Council), the Conseil National de l’Ordre des Pharmaciens (France's National Pharmacists’ Council), the DMOS law1 and the Bertrand Act, as well as regulations formulated by the ANSM2 and the DGS3. These contributions are covered in agreements in which the terms of our collaboration are detailed. The remuneration that healthcare professionals receive is in compliance with directives which govern the way in which the market value of their contributions is calculated. This is based on the healthcare professionals' specific obligations and the time required for them to perform the service requested. For example, a doctor who is required for a whole day will be paid on the basis of how much they earn for one day of consultations. And – in compliance with legislation – the details of travel expenses or meals enjoyed by these healthcare professionals within the framework of their work with us will be made public as soon as they exceed €10, including VAT.

 

1. DMOS law: Law no.93-121 1993 on Diverses Mesures d'Ordre Social – a French law concerning the financial benefits offered to physicians by the pharmaceutical industry
2. ANSM: Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament, France’s national agency for the safety of medicines
3. DGS: France's Directorate-General for Health.

Access the public transparency database for healthcare

The enforcement decree

What the enforcement decree says

In compliance with law no. 2011-2012 of 29 December 2011 which amends the Public Health Code (article L.1453-1 in particular), companies which manufacture or market products for use in healthcare or cosmetics are legally required to make public any benefits that they grant to various bodies involved in the healthcare sector, particularly healthcare professionals, as well as any agreements entered into with these bodies. The decree covers all agreements, benefits in kind or cash worth €10 (including VAT) or more.
The purpose of this law is to guarantee patient safety while enabling medical advances.

Information to be published

All benefits worth €10 (including VAT) or more must be published. For each benefit, several pieces of information must be provided:

  • the identity of the beneficiary (doctor, scholarly society, association of healthcare professionals, medical student, specialist press publication, etc.)
  • the type of the benefit received or the type of agreement (date signed and reference)
  • the total worth (including VAT) of the benefit rounded up or down to the nearest euro
  • the payment date

Impact on Expanscience

Expanscience is legally bound to keep a record of all collaborations, interaction and expenses incurred with healthcare professionals, including invitations, meals, books, research, consulting, etc. All of this information is published on a single website created under the auspices of France’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Healthcare professionals have complete access to this data. It will remain accessible for a period of five years.

Transparency of conflicts of interest

Access the public transparency database for healthcare

Laboratoires Expanscience will ensure that information is used fairly and legally in compliance with France's data protection act of 6 January 1978 (amended). It undertakes only to collect data which is strictly relevant and necessary for the purposes of publication. All information made public is in compliance with current regulations. In accordance with France's data protection act of 6 January 1978 (amended) and with the law no. 2005-1309 of 20 October 2005, the persons concerned are entitled to access and correct information held about them. They may exercise this right by contacting Laboratoires Expanscience’s IT and civil liberties representative via our contact form, or by writing to: Laboratoires Expanscience - Direction Communication - 1 place des Saisons - 92048 PARIS La Défense Cedex. However, under no circumstances may they request that this information be deleted once it has been corrected.