Conflict of Interest at Microsurgery Conferences: Disclosure of Its Extent and Nature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Ha ◽  
Rachel Gray ◽  
Mona Clappier ◽  
Neil Tanna ◽  
Armen K. Kasabian
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Plastic Surgeon ◽  
Impact Research ◽  
The Mean ◽  
American Society ◽  
Open Payments

Abstract Background Industry relationships and conflicts of interest can impact research funding, topics, and outcomes. Little research regarding the role of biomedical companies at microsurgery conferences is available. This study evaluates the role of industry at conferences by comparing payments received by speakers at the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgeons (ASRM) meeting with those received by speakers at the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) meeting, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) meeting, and an average plastic surgeon. It also compares payments made by different companies. Methods General payments received by speakers at the 2017 ASAPS, ASPS, and ASRM conferences were collected from the Open Payments Database. Mean payments received at each conference were calculated and the Mann–Whitney U test evaluated differences between conference speakers and the average plastic surgeon. The total amount of payments from each company was collected through the Open Payments Database, and Z-tests identified which companies paid significantly more than others. Results The mean (and median) general payments made to conference speakers at ASAPS (n = 75), ASPS (n = 247), and ASRM (n = 121) were $75,577 ($861), $27,562 ($1,021), and $16,725 ($652), respectively. These payments were significantly greater (p < 0.001 for all) than those of the average plastic surgeon ($4,441 and $327), but not significantly different from each other. Allergan contributed significantly more than other companies to speakers at ASPS and ASAPS, while LifeCell Corporation, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, and Axogen contributed significantly more to speakers at ASRM. Conclusion Payments to physicians at ASRM were significantly higher than those of an average plastic surgeon but not significantly different from those of speakers at ASAPS and ASPS. Certain companies paid significantly more than their peers at each conference. Given these findings, speakers should strive to make clear the nature and extent of their conflicts of interest when presenting at conferences.

General Particulars Regarding the Conflict of Interest

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-149
Author(s):  
Aurelia Teodora Drăghici
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
National Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Legal Implications ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Changing Role

SummaryTheme conflicts of interest is one of the major reasons for concern local government, regional and central administrative and criminal legal implications aiming to uphold the integrity and decisions objectively. Also, most obviously, conflicts of interest occur at the national level where political stakes are usually highest, one of the determining factors of this segment being the changing role of the state itself, which creates opportunities for individual gain through its transformations.

scholarly journals Conflict of interest: law enforcement and conflictology

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 89-99
Author(s):  
N. A. Bobrova
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
The State ◽  
Municipal Employees ◽  
Main Emphasis ◽  
Psychology And Economics ◽  
Science Philosophy ◽  
Scope Of Application

The subject. The article is devoted to conflictology as one of the most relevant, almost significant, debatable problems in law theory, legal sciences, political science, philosophy, psychology and economics. The author analyzes specific examples of conflicts of interest in various corruption spheres and manifestations, for example, in the sphere of participation of economic actors in the procurement announced by state and municipal authorities.The purpose of the article is to identify the nature of conflicts of interest as the basis of corruption.The methodology. The author uses comparisons of common and private, cause and effect, patterns and randomness, content and form, essence and phenomenon, the transition of quantity into quality, as well as the methods of sociology and psychology.The main results, scope of application. The article analyzes the relationship between corruption and nepotism. The article discusses legal and moral ways to prevent conflict, the role of ethical standards in conflict prevention, regulatory framework for preventing and settling them, the ratio of conflict of interest and employee qualifications, balance of material and personal interest, Commissions to prevent conflicts of interest, guaranteeing the role of writing notice of a conflict of interest, Features of the notification procedure, moral means of preventing and resolve conflicts of interest. Exclusively legal methods are insufficient to prevent and eliminate conflicts of interest and corruption-related risks. A combination of legal and moral measures is necessary, and most importantly, the exclusion of kinship and other forms of nepotism in the formation of government bodies and the appointment of officials, the hiring of state and municipal employees. It is necessary to exclude formalism from the institution of competitive selection of civil servants.Conclusions. The elimination of the contradictions between some federal anti-corruption laws has much less effect on the state of corruption in the state than the flourishing nepotism. The exercise of official functions takes place in the form of law enforcement: if there is no application of the law – there is no corruption. The main emphasis should be directed to the process of forming the apparatus of state and municipal authorities, employees of state and municipal institutions, primarily in the educational sphere, on which the upbringing of new generations of employees depends, the steady observance of high professional and moral requirements imposed on state and municipal employees and teachers in schools and universities.

scholarly journals The “throwaways”. Conflicts of interest in dermatology publications

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Roman ◽  
David J. Elpern
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Financial Conflict ◽  
News Magazines ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Open Payments ◽  
Clinical Dermatology

AbstractImportanceConflict of interest as it relates to medical education is a topic of concern. Dermatology journals, periodicals, editorials, and news magazines are influential resources that are not uniformly regulated and subject to influence from the pharmaceutical industry.ObjectiveThis study evaluates industry payments to physician editorial board members of common dermatology publications, including “throwaway” publications.DesignA list of editorial board members was compiled from a collection of clinical dermatology publications received over a 3-month period. To analyze the nature and extent of industry payments to this cohort, payments data from the Open Payments database from 2013 to 2019 were collected. Analysis of the total payments, number of transactions, categories of payments, payment sources, and physician specific characteristics was performed.ResultsTen publications were evaluated, and payments data for 466 physicians were analyzed. The total compensation across all years was $75,622,369.64. Services other than consulting, consulting, and travel/lodging payments comprised most of the payments. A faction of dermatologists received the majority of payments. The top payers were manufacturers of biologic medications. Payment amounts were higher for throwaway publications compared to peer-reviewed journals.ConclusionsEditorial board members of dermatology publications received substantial payments from the pharmaceutical industry. A minority of physicians receive the lion’s share of payments from industry. “Throwaway” publications have more financial conflict of interest than peer-reviewed journals. The impact of these conflicts of interest on patient care, physicians practice patterns, and patient perception of physicians is noteworthy.

scholarly journals Physician and Stakeholder Perceptions of Conflict of Interest Policies in Oncology

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (13) ◽  
pp. 1677-1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Craig Lockhart ◽  
Marcia S. Brose ◽  
Edward S. Kim ◽  
David H. Johnson ◽  
Jeffrey M. Peppercorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Professional Organization ◽  
Periodic Review ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Patient Advocates ◽  
Similar Survey ◽  
Relevant Topic ◽  
American Society

Purpose The landscape of managing potential conflicts of interest (COIs) has evolved substantially across many disciplines in recent years, but rarely are the issues more intertwined with financial and ethical implications than in the health care setting. Cancer care is a highly technologic arena, with numerous physician-industry interactions. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recognizes the role of a professional organization to facilitate management of these interactions and the need for periodic review of its COI policy (Policy). Methods To gauge the sentiments of ASCO members and nonphysician stakeholders, two surveys were performed. The first asked ASCO members to estimate opinions of the Policy as it relates to presentation of industry-sponsored research. Respondents were classified as consumers or producers of research material based on demographic responses. A similar survey solicited opinions of nonphysician stakeholders, including patients with cancer, survivors, family members, and advocates. Results The ASCO survey was responded to by 1,967 members (1% of those solicited); 80% were producers, and 20% were consumers. Most respondents (93% of producers; 66% of consumers) reported familiarity with the Policy. Only a small proportion regularly evaluated COIs for presented research. Members favored increased transparency about relationships over restrictions on presentations of research. Stakeholders (n = 264) indicated that disclosure was “very important” to “extremely important” and preferred written disclosure (77%) over other methods. Conclusion COI policies are an important and relevant topic among physicians and patient advocates. Methods to simplify the disclosure process, improve transparency, and facilitate responsiveness are critical for COI management.

Financial Conflicts of Interest Are Common and Frequently Influence Conclusions of Economic Analyses Presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 810-810
Author(s):  
Sekwon Jang ◽  
Young Kwang Chae ◽  
Navneet S. Majhail
Keyword(s):  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Pharmaceutical Product ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Financial Conflict ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Financial Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
American Society ◽  
Economic Analyses

Abstract Abstract 810 Economic analyses of pharmaceutical agents are important determinants of health reimbursement decisions and are essential components of comparative effectiveness research. The American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting is an important forum for presentation of economic analyses of hematology-oncology drugs. We hypothesized that economic analyses sponsored by pharmaceutical companies would be more likely to support that company's product. We conducted this study to determine the frequency of financial conflicts of interest in economic analyses presented at the ASH annual meeting and to examine whether such conflicts influenced study outcomes and directly or indirectly supported a specific product (an example of indirect support is a study on costs of febrile neutropenia sponsored by a pharmaceutical company that manufactures granulocyte colony-stimulating factor). ASH annual meeting abstracts from 2006-2008 were searched for economic analyses using following search terms: ‘cost', ‘economic', ‘dollar', ‘cost-effective', and ‘cost-benefit'. All abstracts in the ‘Health Services and Outcomes Research' category were also reviewed for economic analyses. Information was collected on the type of economic analysis, health technology assessed, author affiliation, the presence of conflict of interest and study conclusion. A total of 124 original economic analyses were identified. The majority of studies (52%) were conducted in the US, followed by Canada (11%) and UK (7%). Most studies were presented as a poster (61%). Eighty-seven studies (70%) evaluated a pharmaceutical product. First author affiliations included academic institutions (67%), consulting company employee (23%) and employee of sponsoring corporate (10%). Eighty-eight of 124 studies (71%) had at least one author with a financial conflict of interest. Studies with a conflict of interest were more likely to evaluate a pharmaceutical product than studies without a conflict of interest (81% vs. 44%, p<0.001). First authors of abstracts with a conflict of interest were less likely to be affiliated with an academic institution compared with abstracts without a conflict of interest (53% vs. 100%, p<0.001). The conclusions of 87 of 88 economic analyses with a conflict of interest favored the sponsor's product either directly (72%) or indirectly (27%). In conclusion, financial conflicts of interest are common in economic analyses presented at the ASH annual meeting. Almost all economic analyses with a financial conflict of interest support their sponsor's products. We could not exclude a publication bias, wherein economic analyses that did not favor a sponsor's product were less likely to be submitted for presentation. Economic analyses have important health policy implications and conflicts of interest should be carefully considered when interpreting the conclusions of economic analyses. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Financial conflicts of interest at three prominent oncology clinical pathway vendors.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6529-6529
Author(s):  
Robert Michael Daly ◽  
Peter Bach ◽  
Ray D. Page
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Pathway ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Clinical Pathways ◽  
Advisory Board ◽  
Treatment Pathway ◽  
Prescribing Behavior ◽  
The Public ◽  
Financial Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
American Society ◽  
Open Payments

6529 Background: The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) reports that in 2015 62% of oncology practices are adhering to a clinical pathway and 31% are adhering to more than one pathway. ASCO and the American Medical Association have raised concerns about the conflicts of interest of those that design these pathways. Methods: Using the public Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database, we abstracted the 2015 financial conflicts of interest for the 2016 voting members of the Value Pathways (a combined effort of US Oncology and NCCN), the medical oncology committee chairs for Via Oncology, and the medical advisory board for eviti. We focused on national pathway vendors and on non-research general payments, such as gifts, consulting, and speaker fees. Results: Nearly all involved in pathway development received non-research general payments in 2015, including 92% of US oncology, 84% of NCCN, 84% of Via Oncology, and 69% eviti. The average general payments ranged from $3.5K for US Oncology Value Pathways voting members to $15.3K for NCCN Value Pathways voting members. Eight percent of US Oncology voting members, 19% of the eviti medical advisory board, 28% of Via Oncology chairs, and 42% of NCCN voting members received $10,000 or more in general payments in 2015. Conclusions: Given the prominent role clinical pathways have on oncologists’ prescribing behavior and the often subjective nature of determining on-pathway treatment, pathway vendors should take care to make accessible their conflict of interest policies and elucidate how they manage relationships of concern.Steps would include potentially limiting the number of committee members receiving payments and limiting the amount of general payments to each physician.

American Society of Clinical Oncology Policy for Relationships With Companies: Background and Rationale

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (16) ◽  
pp. 2037-2042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Oncology ◽  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Educational Content ◽  
Rigorous Evaluation ◽  
Interest Management ◽  
Interest Policy ◽  
American Society

The American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO's) new conflict of interest policy reflects a commitment to transparency and independence in the development and presentation of scientific and educational content. ASCO supports thorough and accessible disclosure of financial relationships with companies at institutional and individual levels and calls for rigorous evaluation of content in light of the information disclosed. For abstracts and articles presenting original research, ASCO holds first, last, and corresponding authors to a clear standard of independence. In imposing restrictions, the new policy focuses on the role of these authors rather than of the principal investigator(s) as in the previous policy. ASCO remains actively engaged with the broader scientific community in seeking and implementing efficient, effective approaches to conflict of interest management.

scholarly journals P.119 Industry relationships with neurological surgery in the 2015 Open Payments Database

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (s2) ◽  
pp. S47-S48
Author(s):  
MP de Lotbiniere-Bassett ◽  
PJ McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Novel Device ◽  
Device Development ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Neurological Surgery ◽  
Open Payments ◽  
Total Payment

Background: The 2013 Physician Payments Sunshine Act mandates that all US drug and device manufacturers disclose payments to physicians annually in the Open Payments Database (OPD). We aimed to determine the prevalence, magnitude and nature of these payments to neurological surgery in 2015. Methods: Records of payments to physicians identified by the ‘neurological surgery’ taxonomy code in 2015 were accessed via the OPD. The data were analyzed in terms of the type and amounts of payments, companies making payments, and in comparison to previous studies. Results: In 2015, 330 companies made 83,690 payments ($99,048,607) to 7,613 physicians. The mean payment ($13,010) was substantially greater than the median ($114). Royalties and licensing accounted for the largest proportion of total payment value (74.2%), but only 1.7% of the total number. Food and beverage payments were the most commonly reported transaction (75%), but only 2.5% of the total value. Neurological surgery had the second highest average total payment per physician of any specialty. Conclusions: The overall value of payments to the neurological surgery specialty is driven by a small number of payments that may represent appropriate compensation for novel device development. The OPD provides an opportunity for increased transparency and for the interpretation of research in light of potential conflicts of interest.

Industry-Sponsored Research Payments in Neurosurgery—Analysis of the Open Payments Database From 2014 to 2018

Neurosurgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. E250-E258
Author(s):  
Aimen Vanood ◽  
Aryana Sharrak ◽  
Patrick Karabon ◽  
Daniel K Fahim
Keyword(s):  
Medical Research ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Medical Industry ◽  
Sponsored Research ◽  
Teaching Institution ◽  
Significant Percentage ◽  
Primary Investigator ◽  
Financial Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Open Payments

Abstract BACKGROUND The Open Payments Database (OPD) started in 2013 to combat financial conflicts of interest between physicians and medical industry. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the first 5 yr of the OPD regarding industry-sponsored research funding (ISRF) in neurosurgery. METHODS The Open Payments Research Payments dataset was examined from 2014 to 2018 for payments where the clinical primary investigator identified their specialty as neurosurgery. RESULTS Between 2014 and 2018, a $106.77 million in ISRF was made to 731 neurosurgeons. Fewer than 11% of neurosurgeons received ISRF yearly. The average received $140 000 in total but the median received $30,000. This was because the highest paid neurosurgeon received $3.56 million. A greater proportion ISRF was made to neurosurgeons affiliated with teaching institutions when compared to other specialties (26.74% vs 20.89%, P = .0021). The proportion of the total value of ISRF distributed to neurosurgery declined from 0.43% of payments to all specialties in 2014 to 0.37% in 2018 (P &lt; .001), but no steady decline was observed from year to year. CONCLUSION ISRF to neurosurgeons comprises a small percentage of research payments made to medical research by industry sponsors. Although a greater percentage of payments are made to neurosurgeons in teaching institutions compared to other specialties, the majority is given to neurosurgeons not affiliated with a teaching institution. A significant percentage of ISRF is given to a small percentage of neurosurgeons. There may be opportunities for more neurosurgeons to engage in industry-sponsored research to advance our field as long as full and complete disclosures can always be made.

The Potential Role of Molecular Analysis in Hereditary Antithrombin (AT) Deficiency Diagnosis and Management.

Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 2976-2976
Author(s):  
Mrinal M Patnaik ◽  
Jennifer Guenther ◽  
Rajiv Pruthi ◽  
John A. Heit
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Analysis ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Young Age ◽  
Diagnosis And Management ◽  
At Deficiency ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Abstract 2976 Poster Board II-955 Background: AT deficiency is classified as type 1 (quantitative), or type 2 (qualitative), based on plasma AT activity and antigen levels. However, such levels can sometimes be only mildly and equivocally reduced. Type 2 deficiency can be subdivided into type 2a (reactive center loop [RCL]), type 2b (heparin binding domain), and type 2c (pleiotropic), usually by molecular analysis, but the role of AT molecular analysis in patient diagnosis and management is uncertain. Objectives: 1) to estimate the frequency of mutation detection in possible hereditary AT deficiency, and 2) to correlate clinical manifestations with AT deficiency type as determined by plasma AT, and by AT genotype. Methods: Mayo Clinic patients (n=16) were categorized as type 1 or 2 by plasma AT, or by molecular analysis for previously reported type 2a-c mutations. Patient characteristics were abstracted from medical records. The SERPINC1 putative promoter region, all exons (n=7) and splice junctions, and the 3'UTR were PCR amplified from leukocyte genomic DNA, and sequenced with both forward and reverse primers. Results: The mean patient age at diagnosis was 32 years (range 18-65); 11 (69%) were women. 12 (75%) patients were type 1 by plasma AT, while 4 were type 2 by molecular analysis (Table). The mean plasma AT (range) activity/antigen for types I and 2 patients were 52% (39-71%)/53% (39-68%) and 58% (43-67%)/85% (60-103%), respectively [normal range=80-130%]. 13 (82%) patients had VTE (8 [61%] idiopathic; 10 [77%] recurrent); 5 (32%) had stroke/TIA, 4 at a young age. Thrombosis “penetrance” appeared greater among type 1 families. Only 2 pregnancy losses occurred in 14 pregnancies among 6 type 1 women, and no losses occurred in 5 pregnancies among 2 type 2b women. Among the 14 (88%) patients with mutations identified, all were heterozygous and 8 patients had 6 novel mutations; 2 patients had no mutation detected. Plasma AT activity/antigen did not always correlate with genotype; 1 patient each with type 2b and 2c by molecular analysis had concordant decreases in plasma AT activity and antigen (i.e., a type 1 plasma phenotype), while amino acid changes (T85K and F239L) predicting reduced plasma AT activity only had a type 1 plasma phenotype. One type 2b (Q118P) patient had extensive recurrent VTE. Conclusion: 88% of patients had a detrimental mutation, suggesting that molecular analysis can be helpful for diagnosis. While our findings should be interpreted with caution, type 1 patients may have a higher prevalence of stroke/TIA at a young age and a higher family thrombosis penetrance compared to type 2. Plasma AT activity and antigen frequently did not correlate with genotype. However, whether molecular analysis is useful for clinical management remains uncertain. Finally, 50% of patients had a novel mutation, suggesting that reported mutations causing AT deficiency have not reached gene saturation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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