The Cumberlege Review called for a mandatory, enforceable transparency system which would force industry to log the millions it gives to the UK health sector every year – this money has been proven to bias research and prescribing.

However, current proposals by government risk creating a fragmented voluntary scheme, prompting the Cumberlege Review’s lead researcher, Professor Sonia Macleod, to describe progress as “appalling” in an interview in the BMJ.

The government appears to have opted not to bring in Sunshine style legislation forcing industry to disclose all of its payments – including a full break down of research payments that make up 70% of industry funding.

This means there’s nothing to enforce the transparency guidance.

For transparency policy to be effective the guidance should set out how compliance by industry will be monitored, define success criteria and a timetable for review, and commit to using existing statutory powers if voluntary reporting fails.

The transparency guidance should commit to a single, searchable government-run database by 2027, rather than leaving declarations scattered across company websites.

Named disclosure of R&D payments must be included within the guidance. These account for around 70% of industry payments, so excluding them would leave most financial relationships hidden.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Without legislation, the guidance is a waste of time and flies in the face of the recommendations of Julia Cumberlege The government must set clear measures of success, monitor compliance and commit to enforcement if voluntary reporting fails.

Patients need one database, not hundreds of company websites. Commit to a single, searchable government-run database by 2027.

Don’t hide 70% of the money. Named disclosure of Research and Development payments is essential, otherwise most industry payments will remain out of public view.

Disclosure UK logs Pharma payments here Disclosure UK 2025: the 11th year of Disclosure UK data, with industry transparency continuing to grow | Blogs

But there is nothing currently logged for medical devices payments.