New Fee Threatens Research for Vulnerable Patients

The Danish government’s reinstatement of fees for drug trials is facing strong criticism from doctors, researchers, and the pharmaceutical industry, as they fear it will harm patients and vital treatments. The Danish Medical Association describes the reintroduction of trial fees, previously exempt since 2018, as a significant weakening of research, leading to fewer trials and less knowledge about treatment quality. This could according to the association heighten health inequalities, especially for diseases with little commercial interest, which often rely on small private funds for research. After a period of exemption, the fees around DKK 50,000 per trial were reimposed on January 11. The critique is echoed by the Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry, which stresses that strong research environments should be easy for public researchers to engage in without prohibitive fees.