What is The Relationship Between Advocacy Groups and the Pharmaceutical Industry?

Since the emergence of the advocacy movement in the 1980s, the pharmaceutical industry has worked to partner with advocacy groups by funding a variety of activities. Thanks to these ongoing relationships, pharmaceutical companies have played an important role in helping people with a variety of mental disorders.

Given the mutual benefits that can develop from advocacy group and pharmaceutical industry alliances, it is important to understand some of the factors that can positively or negatively affect such collaborations. For example, an advocacy group may have a favorable attitude toward such alliances if:

  • it has previously had a good relationship with pharmaceutical companies
  • the pharmaceutical company supports the group’s advocacy efforts to access medications
  • the pharmaceutical company distributes educational material that patients find useful