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Department of Anesthesiology, University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, MS, gmychaskiw{at}anesthesia.umsmed.edu
To the Editor:
We are troubled by the recent exchange of letters between Dr. White (1) and Drs. Roberson and Meyer (2) regarding conflict of interest in a recent comparison of dolasetron with ondansetron (3). In particular, the explanation of the articles failure to disclose Dr. McLeskeys potential conflict of interest is insufficient. Dr. McLeskey is not merely an employee of Abbott Laboratories. He is the Global Medical Director/Global Marketing Director of Anesthesia and Sedation. Abbott Laboratories markets dolasetron under the trade name "Anzamet." Although the study was completed 5 yr ago, Dr. McLeskey was employed by Abbott Laboratories during the writing and editing of the study.
We are also troubled by the description of this study as a "practical clinical trial...derived from practical choices facing clinicians" (2). The choice to ignore prophylactic antiemetic use differs substantially enough from common practice as to render the conditions of the study irrelevant to most clinical situations.
We have recently commented on other prominent authors failing to disclose significant conflicts of interest (4). Pharmaceutical industry funding of research and education is important, but a thoughtful evaluation of scientific literature demands full disclosure of even potential conflicts of interest. The failure to disclose the conflict of interest is less than ethical and blurs the distinction between objective science and biased marketing.
References
This article has been cited by other articles:
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S. L. Shafer Ethics, Marketing, and the Medical Literature Anesth. Analg., August 1, 2006; 103(2): 488 - 488. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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P. F. White Ethics, Marketing, and the Medical Literature Anesth. Analg., August 1, 2006; 103(2): 488 - 489. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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