Ethics and industry-sponsored research

Academic researchers must have complete freedom to participate in and approve all aspects of industry-sponsored clinical trials, including any publication resulting from such a trial. We encourage all authors to abide by the new rules of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.1

That having been said, we must register our strong objection to the biased tone of the commentary, which slights the vital contributions of our industry to the clinical trial process. Throughout the commentary, the integrity of academic investigators is assumed, while the industry's integrity is questioned. The commentary ignores the fact that the trial sponsors usually do most of the actual work in clinical trials, including planning and designing the study, providing supplies, arranging contracts, and analyzing and interpreting the data; the sponsors sometimes also prepare manuscripts for publication. There are many well-respected, highly ethical and experienced clinicians working for industry who are not subject to the potential conflicts of interest arising from pressures that affect most academicians, such as the need to obtain grants and secure tenure.

Thus, although our industry supports the need to ensure the independence of researchers, the commentary is unnecessarily antagonistic, which weakens its impact. A more balanced approach would have recognized the essential roles that both industry and investigators play in developing safe and effective medicines for patients.