Addressing threats to health care's core values, especially those stemming from concentration and abuse of power - and now larger threats to the democracy needed to advance health and welfare. Advocating for accountability, integrity, transparency, honesty and ethics in leadership and governance of health care.
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
BLOGSCAN - Conflicts of Interest Affecting the Institute of Medicine's New Panel on Conflicts of Interest
On the GoozNews blog, Merrill Goozner discusses the Institute of Medicine's new panel which will develop new guidelines for managing conflicts of interest. According to Goozner, the panel includes three people who were given their own conflict of interest waivers because of their financial ties to drug or device companies, and one other whose ties Goozner claims were not disclosed. The panel includes no prominent advocates of a harder line against conflicts. Goozner asks, "sound fair and balanced to you?"
The IOM added Lisa Bero of UCSF and Eric Campbell of Harvard to its roster, giving the panel greater balance. The first meeting was held yesterday and today (Tuesday, Nov. 6). I was out of town at another meeting, but look forward to following this committee's activities and reading its eventual recommendations. A strong statement from the IOM regarding conflicts of interest would be welcome, and a weak one would set back the cause of those seeking greater independence for medical researchers from commercial influence for many years.
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