Clarifying conflict of interest.
As the debate over how to manage or discourage physicians' financial conflicts of interest with the drug and medical device industries has become more heated, critics have questioned or dismissed the concept of "conflict of interest" itself. A satisfactory definition relates conflict of interest to concerns about maintaining social trust and distinguishes between breaches of ethical duty and temptations to breach duty. Numerous objections to such a definition have been offered, none of which prevails on further analysis. Those concerned about conflicts of interest have contributed to misunderstandings, however, by failing to demonstrate when social arrangements leading to temptations to breach duties are in themselves morally blameworthy. Clarifying "conflict of interest" is important if we are eventually going to develop productive modes of engagement between medicine and for-profit industry that avoid the serious ethical pitfalls now in evidence.
University of Texas Medical Branch, Institute for the Medical Humanities, Galveston, TX 77555-1311, USA. habrody@utmb.edu
Howard
H
Brody
D001709:Biotechnology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000941:ethics; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D004345:Drug Industry; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010820:Physicians / Q000941:ethics*; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000941:ethics; D017149:Private Sector / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics; D011639:Public Opinion; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000941:ethics; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000941:ethics; D013664:Teaching Materials; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States