The more healthcare professionals (HCPs) know the pharma industry, the more they trust the pharma industry. That is the claim of U.K. pharma industry group ABPI, which reported another small uptick in how many HCPs trust drugmakers in its latest survey.
ABPI has now polled HCPs and the public four times since 2021. When the industry group ran the first of the surveys, 30% of HCPs said they had high levels of trust in pharma companies operating in the U.K. By 2023, the figure had ticked up to 35%. Trust in other institutions stayed fairly constant. Universities that conduct R&D of medicines and health charities topped the trust rankings with scores of close to 60%.
HCP trust in pharma is yet to approach that level, but it did climb again in the latest survey to reach 38%. ABPI said the slow increase seen across the series of surveys “does not indicate a statistically significant change in [HCPs’] degree of trust.”
The industry group has an idea for how to keep trust trending upward. Trust increases as doctors and nurses become more familiar with the industry, according to ABPI. HCPs have become more familiar with the industry across the series of surveys, with the proportion of people who say they know a fair amount about pharma rising from around 70% to around 90%, and trust has increased over the same period.
ABPI framed the data as evidence of “the potential for deeper collaborations to improve patient care and support the NHS.” The survey suggests HCPs may be open to collaborations, with 82% of respondents saying they understand the benefits partnerships can bring to patients and the healthcare service.
More HCPs, 78%, recalled face-to-face or verbal contact with pharma medical representatives in the past 12 months in the latest survey than in 2021. Back then, when the pandemic was affecting interactions, 70% of HCPs reported interacting with a medical representative. Almost all HCPs in both surveys said the interactions are helpful.
ABPI’s focus on the case for collaboration in the survey data is aligned with other statements it has made in recent months. The industry group highlighted the prime minister’s comments about the role industry can play in fixing the healthcare service last month and shared an analysis of the impact of partnerships two weeks ago.