BMJ  2008;336 (5 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39444.472708.47

Editor's Choice

Doctors and the drug industry

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

The Royal College of Physicians is looking at relations between doctors and the drug industry and wants to hear from you (doi: 10.1136/bmj.39428.617431.DB). In case you need them, here are some pointers from this week’s BMJ.

Firstly, should we fear for the integrity of medical research because clinical trials are overwhelmingly funded by industry? Yes, says Paulo Bruzzi (doi 10.1136/bmj.39416.559942.BE). Industry designs trials mainly to get new drugs registered as soon as possible, preferably with an unrestricted indication. The best trials for this—in large unselected populations—often leave key questions unanswered and, because of ethical constraints on subsequent trials, unanswerable.

Bruzzi is only slightly reassured by evidence from Louise Berendt and colleagues (doi: 10.1136/bmj.39401.470648.BE) that independent trials have survived the imposition of rules for good clinical practice. He says the medical research community must rethink the terms of cooperation with industry: "Our health systems risk bankruptcy for . . . [Full text of this article]

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