The one-minute spot is the handiwork of the Alliance for Patient Access, a non-profit group that gives off a consumer-friendly vibe but is bankrolled by the powerful pharmaceutical industry. Yet even a small degree of separation can be valuable for pharmaceutical companies at a time when the industry faces stiff political headwinds. Although majorities of the public trust pharmaceutical companies to develop new and effective drugs, only 25 per cent trust them to price their products fairly — down from 41 per cent in 2008. The Alliance’s money comes from more than three dozen associate members and financial supporters, which include several of the largest pharmaceutical companies. It donated more than $1.8 million to the Alliance between 2009 and 2016 and since 2016 gave another $215,000 to two smaller offshoots — the Institute for Patient Access and the Global Alliance for Patient Access.

Source: National Post March 18, 2019 04:41 UTC