A report published in medical journal BMJ Open has revealed one in five Australian experts entrusted to decide which drugs are recommended for use by doctors have undisclosed links to drug companies.
The reports’ authors identified 83 experts with potential conflicts of interest they had not disclosed, out of a total of 402.
According to Bond University academic researcher Dr Ray Moynihan, though in many cases there was no requirement for the experts to disclose potential conflicts of interest, the results suggest greater transparency is needed.