The government has unveiled plans to make the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority and the pharmaceutical industry more open and transparent.

Health minister Lord Warner issued a revised code of practice on Thursday to further tighten the rules on the interests of chairmen and members to ensure impartial advice is given on regulation of medicines.

Under the new plans the chairman and the members of the new commission will not be allowed to hold interests in the pharmaceutical industry.

The move came amid fears that they may make decisions based upon the commercial upside to the drug firms.

"To further ensure we get completely impartial advice, experts concerned with the authorisation and surveillance of medicinal products will now have to prove that they have no financial interests in the pharmaceutical industry," said the minister.

The new structure will ensure that two lay representatives will sit on the committee, as well as patient representatives on every expert advisory group, to give patients a greater involvement in the regulation of medicines and monitoring their safety.

The head of the MHRA has also written to pharmaceutical companies to demand more action on their agreement to publish their clinical trial data for medicines.

Commenting on the new guidelines, Lord Warner said: "It is important that the MHRA is open and transparent. That is why today I have announced a number of important changes to the way the committee structure will operate.

"We want to give patients and the public a greater role in advising on safety of medicines by including strong lay and patient representatives on the new Commission and it’s bodies and groups.

"As patients become more knowledgeable about the healthcare they receive we must also give them the power to advise on the safety and efficacy of their medicine."