Conclusion
Although a minority of otorhinolaryngologists board-certified by the
Japan Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery stably received
personal payments from pharmaceutical companies for the reimbursement of
lecturing, consulting, and writing between 2016 and 2019, large amounts
of payments significantly concentrated on a relatively small number of
otorhinolaryngologists. Leading otorhinolaryngologists such as clinical
practice guideline authors, society board members, and academic journal
editors significantly accepted far larger personal payments than those
who were not.