A new study has demonstrated the growing influence of industry funding for ophthalmology research, which has increased 203% in recent years.
Published in JAMA Ophthalmology on 10 November, the analysis also highlighted which ophthalmology product manufacturers contribute the most, and how the top 10% of eye doctors received the majority of industry funding for their research work.
The cross-sectional study aimed to characterise industry-ophthalmology collaborations, which the researchers said can highlight current areas of focus, improve transparency, and identify potential sources for conflicts of interest.
Data from the US Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Open Payments database (OPD), which contains public records of payments between industry and physicians, was used to identify all ophthalmologists who received industry payments for research purposes between 2014 and 2020.
Industry funding was then compared with public research funding by the National Eye Institute.
In total, 2,102 ophthalmologists were reported to have received a total $825 million in industry-funded research payments from 2014 to 2020. Total industry funding increased 203% from $63 million in 2014 to $190 million in 2020.
Comparatively, total National Eye Institute research funding during the same six-year period was $5 billion and increased 6.6% from $701 million in 2014 to $747 million in 2020
Additionally, the top 10% of ophthalmologists received 65.7% of industry funding.
In terms of the largest contributors to industry research funding, the distribution of industry payments was skewed, with the top 15 of 108 manufacturers accounting for 93.9% of funding.
The top five companies were Genentech, Allergan, Novartis, Alcon and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, respectively. The highest funded research products were anti-VEGFs glaucoma treatments, and intraocular lenses.
“Although unequal in distribution, industry-funded research in ophthalmology is extensive and increasing in scope,” the study concluded.
“Industry funding for research is less than that of public funding; however, industry funding increased faster between 2014 and 2020. Results of this study highlight the increasing importance of industry funding in ophthalmology research, but it may also present ethical challenges for clinicians collaborating with industry.”
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