Ethics and industry-sponsored research

As a retired research scientist in entomology and nutrition, I was delighted to hear that prestigious medical journals will not publish results of research financed by pharmaceutical companies if the researchers are not given complete academic independence.¹ Companies that withhold data unfavourable to their products, persuade scientists to include their names on ghost-written articles or make researchers sign contracts barring them from publishing their findings without company approval should be considered unscrupulous.

This policy, if followed, will be important in preserving scientific integrity and rekindling a feeling of pride among scientists. I recall that many years ago our research director firmly believed that all or most of the scientific research conducted in Canada should be funded by government so that scientists could be independent of private funders. The “findings” of scientists employed by the tobacco industry about 45 years ago should serve as a warning of the potential dangers of privately funded research.