<< Previous Section | < Previous Page | Next Page > | Next Section >> Bibliography (page 8 of 13) Lawler, A. (2003). "UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COLLABORATION: Last of the Big-Time Spenders?" Science 299(5605): 330-333.       This review of the fate of large corporate gifts for research to universities suggests that the universities continued to do their thing but that the yield of marketable products to the dopanies was small. He concludes that on balance the agreements were win-win. Levinsky, N. G. (2002). "Nonfinancial Conflicts of Interest in Research." N Engl J Med 347(10): 759-761.       The author considers his longstanding interest in his career and how that might have affected his objectivity in research. A worthwhile read. Lo, B., L. Wolf, et al. (2000). "Conflict-of-interest policies for investigators in clinical trials." N Engl J Med 343(22): 1616-20.       There is substantial concern that financial conflicts of interest on the part of investigators conducting clinical trials may compromise the well being of research subjects. They analyzed policies governing conflicts of interest at the 10 medical schools in the United States that receive the largest amount of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. All 10 universities required that faculty members disclose financial interests to university officials. They conclude that policies governing conflicts of interest at leading medical schools in the United States vary widely. We suggest that university-based investigators and research staff be prohibited from holding stock, stock options, or decision-making positions in a company that may reasonably appear to be affected by the results of their clinical research. Of the 10 medical schools we studied, only 1 had a policy that was close to this standard. Martin, J. B. and D. L. Kasper (2000). "In Whose Best Interest? Breaching the Academic-Industrial Wall." N Engl J Med 343(22): 1646-1649. McCarthy, M. (2000). "Conflict of interest taints vaccine approval process, charges US report." The Lancet 356(9232): 838. McCrary, S., C. Anderson, et al. (2000). "A national survey of policies on disclosure of conflicts of interest in biomedical research." N Engl J Med 343(22): 1621-6.       Conflicts of interest pose a threat to the integrity of scientific research. The current regulations of the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Science Foundation require that medical schools and other research institutions report the existence of conflicts of interest to the funding agency but allow the institutions to manage conflicts internally. They surveyed all medical schools (127) and other research institutions (170) that received more than $5 million in total grants annually from the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation; 48 journals in basic science and clinical medicine; and 17 federal agencies in order to analyze their policies on conflicts of interest. There was a very high response rate.. Fifteen of the 250 institutions (6 percent)--5 medical schools and 10 other research institutions--reported that they had no policy on conflicts of interest. Among the institutions that had policies, there was marked variation in the definition and management of conflicts. They concluded that there is substantial variation among policies on conflicts of interest at medical schools and other research institutions. This variation, combined with the fact that many scientific journals and funding agencies do not require disclosure of conflicts of interest, suggests that the current standards may not be adequate to maintain a high level of scientific integrity. << Previous Section | < Previous Page | Next Page > | Next Section >> Chapter 4 Quick Links Conflicts of Interest (COI) Definitions Consequences of a COI Government Intervention Industry Sponsorship Professional Societies Clinical Practice Guidelines Other Initiatives COI in Financial Consulting Cases Bibliography Chapter 4 Download (PDF)