<br><span class="gmail_quote">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)</b> <<a href="mailto:ruglucia@paho.org">ruglucia@paho.org</a>><br>crossposted from: <a href="mailto:EQUIDAD@listserv.paho.org">EQUIDAD@listserv.paho.org</a><br>
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<p style="BACKGROUND: white"><strong><b><font face="Arial" color="#993300" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">            Corporate influences on epidemiology</span></font></b></strong><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>

<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><b><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><br>Neil Pearce <br>Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University Wellington Campus - Wellington, New Zealand</span></font></b></p>

<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><b><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">International Journal of Epidemiology - Volume 37, Number 1, February 2, 2008<br>
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<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 46-53; doi:10.1093/ije/dym270 <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/37/1/46" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Abstract]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/46" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Full Text]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/46" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[PDF]</span></font></a> </span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"…Corporate influences on epidemiology have become stronger andmore pervasive in the last few decades, particularly in thecontentious fields of pharmacoepidemiology and occupationalepidemiology. For every independent epidemiologist studyingthe side effects of medicines and the hazardous effects of industrialchemicals, there are several other epidemiologists hired byindustry to attack the research and to debunk it as 'junkscience'. In some instances these activities have goneas far as efforts to block publication. In many instances, academicshave accepted industry funding which has not been acknowledged,and only the academic affiliations of the company-funded consultantshave been listed. </span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">These activities are major threats to theintegrity of the field, and its survival as a scientific discipline.There is no simple solution to these problems. However, forthe last two decades there has been substantial discussion onethics in epidemiology, partly in response to the unethicalconduct of many industry-funded consultants. Professional organizations,such as the International Epidemiological Association, can playa major role in encouraging and supporting epidemiologists toassert positive principles of how science should work, and howit should be applied to public policy decisions, rather thansimply having a list of what not to do…."</span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><br>Joanna Haas </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><strong><b><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Commentary: Epidemiology and the pharmaceutical industry: an inside perspective</span></font></b></strong><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <br>
IJE Advance Access published on January 9, 2008 <br>Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 53-55; doi:10.1093/ije/dym264 <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/37/1/53" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Extract]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/53" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Full Text]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/53" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[PDF]</span></font></a> </span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">'…..Neil Pearce's impassioned comments on 'Corporate Influenceson Epidemiology'<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/53#B1%23B1" target="_blank">^{<font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">1</span></font>}</a> are designed to raise awareness of industryactivities that he believes 'are major threats to theintegrity of the field, and its survival as a scientific discipline'.He argues that 'for every independent epidemiologist studyingthe side effects of medicines there are several other epidemiologistshired by industry to attack the research and debunk it as "junkscience"'. While we recognize his depth of feeling, passionmay nurture bias of its own. The relationship between scienceand industry is complex, and the role of epidemiologists inthe pharmaceutical industry is not limited to debunking 'junkscience'. Balanced evaluation and discussion are necessaryto provide accurate safety information to physicians and patients.Unfortunately, such temperate interchanges rarely make headlinesand seldom sell books…"</span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><br>A White, N Robinson, P Egger, M Stender, K Davis, J Weil, and S Bowlin </span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><strong><b><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Commentary: Collaboration between industry-based and academic epidemiologists</span></font></b></strong><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <br>
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 56-57; doi:10.1093/ije/dym265 <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/37/1/56" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Extract]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/56" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Full Text]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/56" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[PDF]</span></font></a> </span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">'…..In many instances, academics have accepted industry fundingwhich has not been acknowledged, and only the academic affiliationsof the company-funded consultants have been listed'. Hebelieves that this and other unethical practises are major threatsto the integrity of epidemiological research. Although the articleis addressed primarily to academic epidemiologists who consultwith industry, there are a number of issues raised in the articlethat merit comment from those of us who practice epidemiologywithin a large, research-based pharmaceutical company….'</span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><br>Sander Greenland </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><strong><b><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Commentary: Addressing Corporate Influence Through Ethical Guidelines</span></font></b></strong><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <br>
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 57-59; doi:10.1093/ije/dym267 <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/37/1/57" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Extract]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/57" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Full Text]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/57" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[PDF]</span></font></a> </span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">'…..I support declarations of conflict of interest and mandatorydisclosure of funding sources. I think corporate influence byand large seeks to benefit only one entity: The corporation.That condition is an inevitable by-product of the competitiveenvironment in which corporations are naturally selected: Acorporation that prospers does so largely because of its self-aggrandizingtraits. Admitting this fact is an essential step toward addressingthe problems to society and individuals that result. But alsoneeded is an appreciation of the complex interplay of individualsand units within and among corporate entities, and a realisticappraisal of conditions within and among corporations</span></font>…."<font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><br>Carl V Phillips </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><strong><b><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Commentary: Lack of scientific influences on epidemiology</span></font></b></strong><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <br>
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 59-64; doi:10.1093/ije/dym266 <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/37/1/59" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Extract]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/59" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Full Text]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/59" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[PDF]</span></font></a> </span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"…..since I have done a few critical scientific analyses of epidemiologicalclaims as part of industry consultancies. More significantly,the anti-scientific attacks on epidemiology that I have beena victim of have come not from corporations, or even government,but from those who are thought by most people to be public healthadvocates. The players and specific areas of research are different,but as with corporate influence, influential organized interestsare willing to damage science and even sacrifice people's healthto further their goals…."</span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><br>Neil Pearce </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 1in"><strong><b><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Response: The distribution and determinants of epidemiologic research</span></font></b></strong><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <br>
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 65-68; doi:10.1093/ije/dym268 <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/37/1/65" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Extract]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/65" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[Full Text]</span></font></a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/65" target="_blank"><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">[PDF]</span></font></a> </span></font></p>

<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"…..Epidemiology is commonly defined as the study of 'thedistribution and determinants of disease in human populations'.Thus, epidemiology is inherently focused on populations, andepidemiologists recognize that anecdotes about individuals cannotbe used to refute evidence about populations. For example, ananecdote about someone who smoked one pack a day and lived tobe 100, or someone who never smoked and developed lung canceranyway, does not refute the evidence that people who smoke apack a day get lung cancer at 10 times the rate of non-smokers.Similarly, anecdotes about individual epidemiologists actingethically or unethically do not confirm or refute evidence aboutgeneral tendencies.</span></font></p>

<p style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In my commentary about corporate influences on epidemiology,<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/1/65#B1%23B1" target="_blank">^{<font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy">1</span></font>}</a>I was not intending to comment on specific individuals (withthe occasional exception of extreme cases which are too blatantto ignore), but rather to comment on the distribution and determinantsof epidemiologic research, particularly current corporate influenceson what research gets done and how the findings are received…"</span></font></p>

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