Undisclosed financial relationships that influence medical research

By Ed Silverman // January 20th, 2011 //:

In a move that some may consider long overdue, more than a dozen of the most prestigious medical journals will consider requiring doctors who submit studies to disclose any payments received from hedge funds and other large investors.

The proposal is expected to be discussed at the next annual meeting of The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, which is scheduled for June, according to a spokeswoman for the New England Journal of Medicine.

The possibility follows ongoing concerns about conflicts of interest between researchers and the pharmaceutical industry and the extent to which undisclosed financial relationships may unduly influence medical research and, from there, medical practice. But the issue is also encompassing financial ties to large investors, given the growing premium placed on important scientific tidbits by hedge funds that regularly reach out to experts for information that can provide an investing edge.

A specific example arose last November in which a principal investigator and a steering committee member overseeing a trial Human Genome Sciences drug was also a paid consultant to a portfolio manager and various hedge funds, among other investors. Yves Benhamou was subsequently charged with ... Read more>>