Partnerships build trust between industry and healthcare professionals

New polling data shows that healthcare professionals' trust in the pharmaceutical industry increases the more familiar they are with it.

Research by leading polling company Ipsos revealed a steady rise in healthcare professionals' trust in the industry in recent years - up by 8 per cent between 2020 and 2024 [1].

Around two in five doctors and nurses trust pharmaceutical companies highly (38 per cent), ranking the industry as one of the most trusted sectors, behind only health charities and research universities.

The 2024 UK Pharma Reputation Index found that four out of five healthcare professionals (82 per cent), including doctors and nurses are happy to work with the industry, recognising its value in bringing innovative treatments to patients.

The data showed that as doctors and nurses become more familiar with the sector, trust continues to improve, signalling the potential for deeper collaborations to improve patient care and support the NHS.

These new findings come as the industry convenes for the annual ABPI Industry Summit in London today. The summit brings together industry leaders to discuss how the industry can better tell its story of its contributions in creating a healthier, more hopeful future for people in the UK.

Engagements between healthcare professionals and the industry have also increased since last year, with over half having received formal communications (55 per cent) and / or having interacted with pharmaceutical company employees in the past 12 months (53 per cent). Four in five (82 per cent) also understand the benefits the industry can bring to patients and the NHS when undertaking partnerships with the industry.

Recent guidance from the ABPI and NHS Confederation on building effective NHS-industry partnerships reinforces the role these collaborations play in driving better patient outcomes. In addition, further research by Carnall Farrar found links between partnerships, improved prescribing practice and better outcomes for patients [2].

Jill Pearcy, ABPI Reputation Director, said: “Our latest survey data shows that the work our industry is doing to support patients, and the NHS is having a positive impact on the way our industry is seen by healthcare professionals. The better people understand our work, the more they realise we share a common goal – lives lived well.”

Public familiarity with the industry has reached an all-time high, with one in four (25 per cent) of respondents reporting substantial awareness. Familiarity is strongly linked with public trust, particularly in the industry’s research and development (R&D) efforts. Positive perceptions of partnerships are even more notable among younger adults (aged 25-44) who actively engage with news about the sector.

Thomas Fife-Schaw, Research Director at Ipsos said: “Greater visibility with healthcare professionals over time is boosting the reputation of pharmaceutical companies operating in the UK and their ability to better engage with them. Over the course of this index, we’ve seen how improved familiarity with the industry and omnichannel engagement is leading to greater levels of trust and, in turn, an openness to collaborate with the industry to improve outcomes for patients.

“The industry’s public profile remains, on balance, positive. There are signs that citizens are gradually becoming more familiar with it. Few doubt the sector’s impact on patient outcomes through its innovations. Its reputational strengths – that it excels in researching, developing and producing safe and effective medicines that people need – are reassuringly stable. But this stability also means that the sector is yet to see many significant shifts in how people feel about it. Areas of reputational weaknesses remain. Moving the needle on pharma’s reputation looks set to be a long-term challenge and requires consistent, sustained communication of its impact, innovations and intentions.”

Despite seven out of 10 (71 per cent) members of the public agreeing that the industry produces effective medicines and vaccines, opinions remain divided on whether pharmaceutical profits benefit society, suggesting a need for better communication on how profits fuel the R&D necessary for future discoveries.

Social media continues to be a leading source of information about the sector (44 per cent), overtaking traditional platforms like TV and online newspapers. However, this digital landscape is also a source of misinformation, particularly regarding vaccines, underscoring the need for clear, accurate communication from the industry.