• David Hughes and Bryn Williams-Jones.
• Doctoral Student, Applied Human Sciences (Bioethics Option), Bioethics Programme, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC.
• Healthc Policy. 2013 Aug 1; 9 (1): 52-64.

AbstractIn the context of scarce public resources, patient interest groups have increasingly turned to private organizations for financing, including the pharmaceutical industry. This practice puts advocacy groups in a situation of potential conflicts between the interests of patients and those of the drug companies. The interests of patients and industry can converge on issues related to the approval and reimbursement of medications. But even on this issue, interests do not always align perfectly. Using the Quebec example of Coalition Priorité Cancer (CPC) as a case study, we examine the ethical issues raised by such financial relationships in the context of drug reimbursement decision-making. We collected, compiled and analyzed publicly available information on the CPC's organization and activities; this approach allowed us to raise and discuss important questions regarding the possible influence exerted on patient groups by donors. We conclude with some recommendations. Copyright © 2013 Longwoods Publishing.

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