The ombudsman who will oversee the makeup of the new panel will be Howard Brody, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas and author of Hooked: Ethics, the Medical Profession, and the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Brody, quoting philosopher Edmund L. Erde’s summary of what “conflict of interest” is, wrote (p. 31):
He goes on to say that “potential conflict of interest” is a misnomer, as the conflict exists whether or not it is acted upon. The temptation to act is the conflict."[T]o have a [conflict of interest] is to be in a situation in which one might plausibly be thought to do something immoral due to a motivation that might tempt most role holders (or this individual)."
Shannon Brownlee discussed the conflicts of some medical researchers in Doctors Without Borders: Why You Can't Trust Medical Journals Anymore:
“Should research scientists who have financial stakes in the products they are writing about be forced to disclose those ties? To which the average person might reasonably respond, of course they should. But the more pertinent question is why scientists with financial stakes in the outcome of scientific studies are allowed anywhere near those studies, much less reviewing them in elite journals.”
Brody, H. (2007). Hooked: Ethics, the Medical Profession, and the Pharmaceutical Industry. NY: Rowman, Littlefield and Publishers.
Brownlee, S. (2004, April). Doctors without borders: why you can't trust medical journals anymore [Electronic edition]. Washington Monthly. Retrieved June 8, 2008 from http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0404.brownlee.html
Posts
