The greater controls proposed
for publication of papers in biomedical journals, particularly those reporting clinical trials are to be welcomed. Conversely, some of the more stringent policies outlined for professional medical associations are likely to be counterproductive for both education and research. Scientific meetings and CME programmes cost money and, particularly in the current economic climate, non-commercial sources of funding are severely limited. The majority of biomedical research is funded by industry and restriction of this source of income would have significant adverse effects on medical progress. The exclusion of individuals with conflicts of interest Pifithrin�� from committees and organizations weakens the expertise available and, by deterring some academics from collaborating with industry, might also reduce the expertise available to maintain
the widely acknowledged benefits of these collaborations. There is broad agreement that severance of the links between industry and the academic medical community would be highly damaging to scientific progress and counter-productive to the aim of improving patient care. Transparency identifies conflicts of interest but assessment of their influence requires judgement and trust. Management strategies for conflicts should embrace transparency; denial of any place for trust in the industry/academic partnership threatens the future of biomedical education and research. Acknowledgement The author acknowledges support from R788 solubility dmso the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR). Conflicts of interest The author has received
consultancy, advisory board and/or speaking fees from Amgen, Crescent Diagnostics, Eli Lilly, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp 3-oxoacyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase & Dohme, Novartis, Nycomed, Ono Pharmaceutical Co, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi Aventis, Servier, Roche and Wyeth. She has received research funding from Amgen, Nycomed, Osteotronix, Procter & Gamble and Servier. References 1. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Code on interactions with health care professionals http://www.phrma.org/code_on_interactions_with_healthcare_professionals/. Accessed February 17, 2009 2. Advanced Medical Technology Association. Code of ethics on interactions with health care professionals. http://www.advamed.org/MemberPortal/About/code/. Accessed February 17, 2009 3. Steinbrook R (2009) Controlling conflict of interest—proposals from the Institute of Medicine. New Engl J Med 360:2160–2163CrossRefPubMed 4. Drazen JM, Van Der Weyden MB, Sahmi P, Rosenberg J, Marusic A, Laine C et al. (2009) Uniform format for disclosure of competing interests in ICMJE journals. N Engl J Med 361:1896–1897 5. Association of American Medical Colleges.