Policies and guidance on conflicts of interest are changing rapidly. The United States the National Institutes of Health10 and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Human Research Protection offer updated guidelines.11 In the United Kingdom, the General Medical Council offers such guidance.12
Key points
• The potential for conflicts of interest in research can never be eliminated, but can be managed, and in many cases reduced.
• Strategies for reducing conflicts of interest in research are most effective if they involve clear institutional and editorial policies.
• Disclosure is the most common first step in managing conflicts of interest.
• Public disclosure of raw scientific data and independent monitoring of research are additional mechanisms for managing conflicts of interest.
References
1* Institute of Medicine. (2009). Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
2* Stossel, T.P. (2005). Regulating academic-industrial research relationships – solving problems or stifling progress? N Engl J Med, 353, 1060–5.
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