title: Conflict of interest.
abstract: The clinical research enterprise is increasingly scrutinized, in part because of the issue of conflict of interest. The issue is broad and its implications touch on a wide range of concerns, from the safety of patient care to the viability of a large industry. Numerous constituencies are affected by conflict of interest, and representatives of all of them convened in November 2002 for a one-and-a-half day discussion of the issues as well as possible solutions to both the perception and the actuality of such conflict. Participants included medical journal editors, news reporters, physician investigators, representatives of institutional conflict-of-interest oversight committees, representatives of the medical products industry, and Federal regulators. The resulting manuscript provides a review of the issues as well as desirable ways for each of the players to monitor themselves; each section thus contains provocative recommendations for eliminating conflict of interest to ensure that our vibrant health care system continues to foster exciting new advances to improve patient care.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn 55905, USA. holmes.david@mayo.edu
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Brian G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Winslow
authors.forename: Patricia K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Hodgson
authors.forename: Gail L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gamble
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Harrington
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000592:standards; D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000592:standards; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000592:standards; D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D007221:Industry / Q000592:standards*; D018156:Journalism, Medical / Q000592:standards; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000592:standards; D010820:Physicians / Q000592:standards*; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration / Q000592:standards