Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12681

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Drug company payments: Speakers should declare funding
BMJ 2008 Feb 2; 336:(7638):234
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/336/7638/234?etoc

Abstract:

Lenzer and Brownlee describe how a doctor atoned for drug company payments.1

I have been in correspondence with the General Medical Council over the past two to three years, and eventually the council has agreed to issue guidance about sponsored meetings. The GMC’s “Guidance for Doctors” section under “Conflict of interest” now says that it is normal practice for medical journals to require authors of papers to declare competing interests.This practice is often not followed at medical meetings and conferences. Delegates are often unaware of who is paying for the speaker and whether their contribution might be influenced by such payments or other sponsorships or benefits.

Where a contributor to an educational meeting has been sponsored by a pharmaceutical company, this should be announced at the meeting and disclosed in all papers relating to the meeting and in the published proceedings.

The new guidance was issued in November 2006, but