Eighteen groups didn’t report getting money from industry, but 13 of those provided no donor information at all.
Of 59 groups that reported the amounts of their donations, 11 received at least 10% of their financial support from industry donations.
They included the American Diabetes Association, the Epilepsy Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation, and the National Hemophilia Foundation.
The groups that responded to a Reuters Health inquiry said those donations don’t influence policy.
For example, the Kidney Foundation, in a statement, said that although it does accept financial support from industry, “this support does not drive policy positions, priorities, mission or objectives,” and the sole industry member on its 24-member board is prohibited from voting on matters related to that person’s business.
Arthritis Foundation president Ann Palmer released a statement to Reuters Health saying, “Our corporate partners pay to sponsor events and tools. To keep the needs of people with arthritis at the center of what we do, the Foundation makes advocacy and position decisions independently – our corporate partners do not shape our agenda or advocacy efforts.”
The organization would not allow industry members to be on its governing board, she said.
Resource
McCoy MS, Carniol M, Chockley K, et al. Conflicts of Interest for Patient-Advocacy Organizations. N Engl J Med. 2017 Mar 2;376(9):880–885.