BMJ  2008;336:160 (19 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39457.434039.59

Views & Reviews

Drug tales and other stories

Paying for the view

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

It’s a wonder they can talk at all, given their mouths are so stuffed with industry gold. Somehow, though, they manage it, and often to great effect.

Opinion leaders are megastars of the medical world. Groomed, pampered, and promoted by drug companies, they are the role models whose views are to be taken seriously.

Such individuals are part of an elaborate game that supposedly ensures "transparency" about the relationships between doctors and their industry paymasters. The declarations of competing interests so beloved by journal editors, academic boards, and advisory bodies are a key part of this charade. And then there are the statements about potential conflicts made at conferences and other meetings, and the ostentatious offers to leave the room when a personal interest might unduly sway a discussion.

These rituals are all well and good but are at best a sop and at worst represent a cover-up. For example, . . . [Full text of this article]

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Should the drug industry work with key opinion leaders? No

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