title: Conflicts of interests in the area of healthcare products and           technology. Current state of affairs and recommendations.
abstract: The handling of conflicts of interest in the area of healthcare products and technology           has become a major issue for all of those involved in healthcare. Round Table N°4 at the           Giens Workshops 2011 has put forward concrete proposals to clarify and optimise the           handling of conflicts of interest.          Conflicts of interest cannot be defined by the           individuals consulted or applying for funds since each institution, whether public or           private, that puts out a call for projects or that requests advice, analyses or expert           testimony in the healthcare field has different degrees of what it defines as a conflict           of interest, depending on the context of the proposal or specific request that it puts           out. In contrast, each individual has ties of personal interest that can and must be           openly disclosed. The ties are much more diverse than what is commonly found in the           conflict of interest statements of large institutions operating in the healthcare field           and are not limited to financial and operational ties between companies and           individuals. In addition, the statements are difficult to manage because of their sheer           number.          The Round Table recommends that each individual should openly disclose all of his           or her ties of personal interest in a Single Statement of Ties of personal Interest           (SSTI). The SSTI would be updated regularly and accessible on line. Each institution could           then determine whether or not the reported ties represent a conflict in the context of the           mission proposed. Each institution could publish in advance the conditions that would give           rise to a conflict and, in this way, an individual could refrain from applying for the           mission.          Other practical approaches to handling conflicts of interest were put           forward.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacovigilance, Pierre-Fabre Laboratory, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Demarez
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Funck-Brentano
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molimard
mesh_terms: D016265:Conflict of Interest; D030881:Disclosure; D006801:Humans; D011643:Publishing