Conflicts Of Interest In Science: History Of Influence, Scandal, And Denial

Hill & Knowlton's campaign for the five largest US tobacco companies corrupted science and medicine for decades to follow, laying the foundation for financial conflicts of interest in science, as other industries mimicked tobacco's techniques to protect their own products from government bans and regulations-later, from consumer lawsuits.

A growing body of literature finds that arguments against financial conflicts of interest reforms are unsubstantiated, lacking in intellectual rigor, and ignorant of the peer-reviewed research on financial influence.

As this review of history will show, the Academy is not alone in confronting conflicts of interest in a cycle of denial, scandal, reform, and more denial.

We can thank the tobacco industry for inventing our modern crisis with conflicts of interest and financial transparency in science.

One committee member wrote, "Isn't it probably true that unless a committee member has some possibility of , it is not too likely that he will be a useful committee member?" In short, when scientists were prodded about the conflicts of interest and how this might bias their opinion, they inverted the problem by redefining conflicts of interest as "Scientific expertise."

Every attempt to control financial conflicts of interest and push for great transparency in science has been criticized by the scientific community, which seems perpetually satisfied with whatever ethics happen to be in place.

One academic who researches conflicts of interest grew so irritated with scientists denying the science of financial influence that he wrote a parody for the BMJ that listed many of their most common denials. 

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