The Wall Street Journal reports that GlaxoSmithKline paid $85 million for work on clinical trials, speaking and consulting, while Pfizer Inc. reportedly paid $177 million.
Criticism against the drugmakers has claimed that the payments influence the doctors to prescribe their drugs more often and potentially promote unapproved uses for certain medications, according to the news source.
The drugmakers, however, claim that such funding is necessary to ensure that research is conducted and that doctors become educated about the approved uses of their medications.
Under the US healthcare overhaul legislation last year, all drugmakers will be required to report data on physician payments to the government starting in 2013, according to the news provider.
GlaxoSmithKline reportedly paid $28.5 million to a variety of institutions associated with 127 total studies in 2010, reports the Journal.