The World Health Organization categorically rejects the allegations made in a recent story in the BMJ which imply that WHO solicits money from the pharmaceutical sector through independent organisations by circumventing its own rules.1
As the BMJ correctly reports, WHO has clear guidelines against seeking or accepting funds from commercial enterprises or through third parties where there would be a conflict of interest.
When WHO does accept donations or funds from pharmaceutical companies—for example, donations of vaccines or medicines—those donations are clearly accounted for and transparently reported.
In this specific case, Dr Benedetto Saraceno was very clear. He had never asked that funds be solicited from the pharmaceutical sector, and he declined the funds that were offered.
WHO is concerned about the BMJ's depiction of Dr Saraceno. He is a professional of deep personal integrity. In the 10 years he has been with WHO, Dr Saraceno has tirelessly worked to highlight the public health consequences and grave inequalities faced by the millions of people who are affected by mental, neurological, or behavioural disorders.
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Day M. Who's funding WHO? BMJ 2007;334:338-40. (17 February.) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]