Skip to main content

Search

The Janssen Way

The Janssen Way

Janssen’s core responsibility is to develop innovative treatments for unmet medical needs, supporting their appropriate use and maximising access, in order to deliver the best possible outcomes to patients and society. To strenthgthen our efforts, we collaborate with many external groups and organisations sharing this same goal. With our pharmaceutical expertise, we play a vital role in advancing medicine, through research and the development of new treatments, as well as ongoing education and continued safety monitoring. Collaboration, mutual trust and respect are essential for bringing the needed value to both patients and society.

 

Our collaboration with Healthcare Professionals – The Janssen Way

The way we collaborate with healthcare professionals (HCPs) is governed first by law and further by industry standards that are laid down in countries’ Codes of Conduct, which are usually drawn up by national pharmaceutical associations. In addition, Janssen has its own ethical business principles for our collaboration with HCPs, which can be called ‘The Janssen Way’.

Integrity in working with the medical community and healthcare professionals.

The integrity of the decision of a HCP to prescribe or recommend a medicine is one of the pillars of healthcare systems across Europe. We recognise that interactions between pharmaceutical companies and HCPs can create the potential for conflicts of interest but we are guided by our shared goal of delivering the best outcomes for patients which is possible only through maintaining HCPs’ independence and professional integrity.

Our interactions with HCPs and healthcare organisations (HCOs) are governed by strict internal principles that are in line with all existing regulations and our ethical approach. Our internal processes, underpinned by the values enshrined in our company Credo, include comprehensive training for all employees, standardised systems for the review and approval of transactions with HCPs, ongoing monitoring and audits.

As a member of EFPIA (The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations), Janssen publicly discloses any transfers of value (ToV) Janssen has made to HCPs and HCOs, which are always set out in a written agreement.

The ToVs to HCPs and HCOs that we disclose can be categorised into three key areas: 1. Supporting Education 2. Fee for services; 3. R&D transfer of value related to the planning and conducting of studies.

1. Supporting Education

Janssen sponsors and supports Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programmes (i.e. congresses, educational meetings, etc.) where HCPs learn and can exchange ideas with their peers about diseases and new treatment approaches, and in doing so, enhance their knowledge for the benefit of their patients.

We provide fair and balanced education programmes that follow principles defined by accrediting bodies in Europe, based on the medical community’s educational needs and carried out by independent expert committees.

At Janssen, our support of educational programmes is strictly regulated and transparent:

  • Making financial contributions in the form of grants and sponsorships to support educational activities and congresses organised by respected medical societies and other third scientific parties on local and European basis.
  • Developing medical educational programmes, which are organised with independent experts according to strict Janssen rules.
  • Supporting individual doctors to attend congresses and educational meetings based on their educational needs or active involvement.

Logistical arrangements for these activities follow EFPIA and country Codes’ guidelines, are always modest and strictly limited to the HCPs and to the main purpose of the event.

At Janssen, our promotional programmes where we provide detailed information on our products following the same ethical principles, do not include any ToVs as we do not pay travel or lodging for participating at such activities. When necessary, we offer a modest meal that is within the cost limits set by national Pharmaceutical Associations; this is not considered as a ‘value transfer’ by EFPIA.

2. Fee for services

  • HCPs and HCOs provide Janssen with independent and expert knowledge derived from their clinical and management experience and Janssen compensates them fairly for the services provided.
  • Janssen pays fees based on the time required by a HCP to deliver a service (hourly rates are defined independently on a country basis). Janssen respects the autonomy of HCPs and will ensure its activities observe all ethical business practice standards to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

3. R&D transfer of value related to the planning and conducting of studies

  • Clinical trials are a key requirement in the development of medicines, which require the involvement of clinicians and their patients.
  • We fairly compensate clinicians and hospitals for their time, expertise and resources required to undertake this necessary research.
  • Transparency in clinical trial data: As a company, we believe that greater clinical trial datasharing for the advancement of science and medicine is the right thing to do. This is demonstrated by our agreement with Yale University Open Data Access Project (YODA) to enable access to our clinical trial data. It is the first time any company has collaborated with a completely independent academic third party to review and make final decisions regarding every request for clinical data.

Medical advances, pharmaceutical innovation and the expansion of treatment options for many diseases would not be possible without the above-described collaboration with HCPs and HCOs. We are fully committed to increasing transparency in the relationship between industry and the medical community because we recognise this openness will help demonstrate that these interactions ultimately benefit patients in the form of more informed clinical decision-making and the appropriate use of medicines.