Announcements

In recent years, payments made by the pharmaceutical industry to doctors and medical institutions have increasingly been questioned critically. In a systematic analysis, the websites of all PHARMIG member companies (113) were once again searched for information on financial contributions to Austrian healthcare professionals and institutions in 2018. In 2018, a total of 138.3 million euros flowed from PHARMIG member companies to doctors and medical institutions as well as to clinical research and observational studies in Austria. In 2015, the total amounted to 104.1 million euros.

Although the number of Pharmig member companies declaring grants increased only slightly compared to 2015 (2015: 69/113, 2018: 76/115), in 2018 almost one third (32.8%) more grants were made - an increase of 34.2 million euros. In 2018, the share of donations to physicians in the total amount was 7% lower than in 2015. Since this figure corresponds exactly to the increase in the category research and development, a re-declaration can be assumed here. The actual willingness to disclose financial contributions, especially from doctors, is still low - the individual disclosure rate (by name) averaged only 21.1% (2015: 21.9%), which corresponds to 18.5% (2015: 17%) of the amounts paid out. In contrast, the willingness to disclose payments to medical institutions by name (institution) was still significantly higher on average at 49.4% (2015: 50.2%).

Diabetes mellitus is a rapidly increasing disease worldwide. In the Austrian Diabetes Report 2017, the number of people with diabetes mellitus in Austria is estimated at about 7 to 11%, with an assumed 30-35% not diagnosed. The—individually adapted—treatment of diabetes mellitus therefore aims to achieve freedom from symptoms and to prevent acute complications and serious secondary diseases. This project report examines whether screening in the general population is recommended in guidelines and, if so, what methods are used to recommend screening in subpopulations.

In the process for the further development of the Austrian screening tool for pregnant women and children (“Mother-Child-Pass”), initiated by the Ministry of Health in 2014, after several reports conducted by the LBI-HTA, an interdisciplinary and multiprofessional expert working group formulated comprehensive (screening) recommendations for pregnancy, puerperium and childhood (0-6 years). The transparent and participatory process was finished in May 2018. The final report includes all protocols of the expert working group meetings as well as all submitted formal statements. Additionally, the recommendations were thematically structured by screening methods and by time.

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a non-thermal ablative process in which short but strong electric fields are generated using precisely placed needles and computer-controlled potential differences between these needles. In this way, pancreatic and liver tumors located near large blood vessels or other sensitive structures can be removed without damaging them.