Financial links to drug use guidelines
Many of the researchers and doctors who write the rules on prescribing drugs have financial connections to the manufacturers, according to an investigation by the leading journal Nature. More than one-third of authors declared that they had financial links to drug companies and more than 70% of clinical panels are affected. In one case, every member of a panel writing the guidelines for a treatment for anaemia for HIV patients had been paid by the drug’s manufacturer. “The practice stinks,” says Drummond Rennie, deputy editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Although such links have been strongly criticised, the bodies which produce the guidelines counter that there simply aren’t enough experts without potential conflicts of interest. The American Diabetes Association estimates that three-quarters of the members eligible to write clinical guidelines have conflicts of interest.
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
Could newborns solve the kidney shortage crisis?
Kidneys from newborn babies could be a “game-changing” solution to organ shortage crisis, according to an American study. According to...
Chinese sperm bank pushes the boundaries in its marketing
With a birth rate of 1.09 and a declining population, there is a sense of urgency in China about reversing...
Chinese scientists grow humanized kidneys in pigs
Chinese scientists have successfully created chimeric embryos containing a combination of human and pig cells. When transferred into surrogate pig...
People born from donor gametes in UK will be able to doorknock their dad
As of October 1, 18-year-olds in the United Kingdom conceived with donor gametes will be able to find out who...
British teen dies after doctors refuse her request for experimental treatment
ST, the 19-year-old woman at the centre of a dispute about mental competence and healthcare in Britain, has died of...
Dodging a bullet: how a report recommending ‘chestfeeding’ and inclusive pronouns almost became the norm in British maternity wards
A transgender maternity report commissioned by public health authorities in the UK last year made headlines by recommending the use...