AAMC Issues New Guidelines On Financial Conflicts Of Interest.(Brief Article)

2002 JAN 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has released the first report of its Task Force on Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Research "Protecting Subjects, Preserving Trust, Promoting Progress: Policy and Guidelines for the Oversight of Individual Interests in Research."

The guidelines propose that institutions adopt high standards for the reporting, review, and disclosure of researchers' financial interests in federally funded and privately sponsored human subjects research.

"The committee members on our task force, who represented a wide variety of constituencies, wrestled with developing practical guidelines for those engaged in research involving human beings," said William Danforth, MD, task force chair, and chancellor emeritus of Washington University. "I am confident that our recommendations will offer institutions a blueprint for protecting the interests of patients and their families while allowing important research to proceed."

The key focus of report is the recommendation that academic institutions presume that a "financially interested individual," defined in the report as any researcher holding a significant financial interest in human subject research, may not conduct the research in question. The researcher may rebut this presumption only by demonstrating to a reviewing body that he or she has compelling reasons to do so. Consequently, the report recognizes that each case of potential financial conflict of interest in research must be closely examined on its merits. To help achieve this goal, the task force recommends that academic institutions appoint a standing Conflicts of Interest committee responsible for:

* Reviewing ...