Professional medical societies: do we have any conflict of interest with industry?

Excerpt

Conflicts of interest (COIs) have always occurred in scientific research and medical education. During the 1980s, the relationships between industry and academia intensified because of innovation and growth in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and therapy. Industry currently funds nearly 60% of all biomedical research performed in the USA with pharmaceutical companies providing 30%, biotechnology firms another 20% and medical device companies about 10%. In 2004, these investments accounted for more than 50% of the clinical research being conducted in the USA [1]. Recently, there have been concerns about industry supporting an even larger component of research funding during times of contraction of federal government spending on research [2]. While recent increases in funding from the National Institutes of Health has mitigated these concerns, industry continues to fund the majority of non-basic science. Defining COI policies that satisfy multiple stakeholders remains challenging. …