Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Observations MEDIA WATCH

Tell us the truth about nutritionists

BMJ 2007; 334 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39118.546308.59 (Published 08 February 2007) Cite this as: BMJ 2007;334:292

Rapid Response:

Competing interests

Oh dear, Patrick Holford really should check before saying things
like "I notice that Professor David Colquhoun has so far not felt it
relevant to mention his own competing interests and financial involvements
with the pharmaceutical industry". Unlike Holford, when I said "no
competing interests", I meant it. My research has never been funded by
the drug industry, but always by the Medical Research Council or by the
Wellcome Trust. Neither have I accepted hospitality or travel to
conferences from them. That is because I would never want to run the risk
of judgements being clouded by money. The only time I have ever taken
money from industry is in the form of modest fees that I got for giving a
series of lectures on the basic mathematical principles of drug-receptor
interaction, a few years ago.

One more small correction. I don't believe that I am "knocking non-
drug approaches to diseases". All I am knocking is claims, whether for
ordinary drugs of for nutrition, that are not backed by good evidence.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

18 April 2007
David Colquhoun
Professor of Pharmacology
UCL WC1E 6BT