Rationale

Financial relationships between healthcare professionals (HCPs), healthcare organizations (HCOs), and the medical device industry in Japan may lead to conflicts of interest. Limited transparency in these relationships has raised concerns regarding their potential influence on clinical decision-making and patient care.

 

Aims and Objectives

This study aimed to assess the scope and magnitude of financial payments from medical device companies to HCPs and HCOs in Japan, focusing on publicly disclosed data from the 2022 fiscal year.

 

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis of publicly available payment disclosures from 169 medical device companies, including all members of the Japan Federation of Medical Devices Associations (JFMDA) and several major non-JFMDA affiliated companies, was conducted. Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarize payment data.

 

Results

Of the 169 medical device companies, 33.7% (57 companies) did not disclose payment information, leaving 108 companies for analysis. In total, $245.2 million in payments were made in 2022, with only 23.9% ($58.7 million) to research and development. Of the total, 34.6% ($84.9 million) was allocated to non-research payments to HCOs for sponsoring HCOs’ activities, and 19.6% ($49.0 million) were paid for lecturing and consulting fees, typically to individual HCPs. More than 80% of companies allocated a greater share of payments to non-research activities than to research.

 

Conclusion

This study reveals substantial financial relationships between medical device companies and HCPs/HCOs in Japan, predominantly for non-research purposes. Improved transparency regulations, including a uniform, government-run database, are necessary to better oversee these financial interactions with medical device industry in Japan.