No surprise: guideline authors have conflicts of interest

A study in the October 20 issue of Nature shows how many authors of published guidelines for prescribing medications often have financial interests in the companies whose treatments they recommend.

Almost half of the published guidelines examined in the study contained no information about potential conflicts, and more than one-third of the guidelines stated that the authors of the recommendations had no conflicts. Researchers found that in about half of the guidelines, at least one author had received research financing from a company that had a connection to the recommendation, and in 43% of the guidelines surveyed, at least one author had been a paid speaker for a relevant company.

Medical journals, journalists who cover health-medicine-science, and consumers must continue to strive for full disclosure.