Obesity task force linked to WHO takes "millions" from drug firms

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7555.1412-a

BMJ 2006;332:1412 (17 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7555.1412-a

News

Obesity task force linked to WHO takes "millions" from drug firms

Ray Moynihan

Byron Bay, Australia

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The International Obesity Task Force has relied heavily on fundingfrom the drug industry for a decade, despite being widely seenas an independent think tank and having ties to the World HealthOrganization.

Set up in the mid-1990s with help from grants from three drugcompanies, the task force aims to portray obesity as a "seriousmedical condition" and to promote better prevention and managementstrategies.

It has a high media profile and is highly influential. A seniorUS member and a well respected authority on obesity, WilliamDietz, is currently one of the driving forces behind a controversialchange in definitions of childhood overweight and obesity, whichsome researchers believe may exaggerate the problem and unnecessarilylabel children as diseased. (See accompanying story p 1412.)

Although the task force has at times disclosed the names ofdrug company sponsors, the exact amount of that sponsorshipremains secret.

. . . [Full text of this article]

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