Some Physicians Choosing To Stop Accepting Payments From Food, Drug, Medical Device Companies
The New York Times on Tuesday profiled three research scientists who have decided to stop accepting payments from food, drug and medical device companies in response to "accusations of ethical conflicts inherent in these arrangements." The researchers -- Peter Libby, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Harvard Medical Center's Brigham and Women's Hospital; Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity; and Eric Winer, director of the Breast Cancer Treatment Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute -- no longer accept payment for speaking at meetings or for serving on advisory boards. However, all three still might work with the companies because they say it is important for qualified scientists to help companies design and interpret studies.
The researchers say they made the decision because now "when they offer a heartfelt and scientifically reasoned opinion, no one will silently put an asterisk next to their name," according to the Times. Jerome Kassirer, a professor at Tufts School of Medicine and author of a book on conflicts of interest, said that five years ago "nobody paid any attention to taking money from industry. They just took it. In some instances, I think people thought they were suckers if they didn't." However, Kassirer added, "I don't think there's any question that the atmosphere has changed" (Kolata, New York Times, 4/15).
