More than half of individuals involved in cardiology practice guidelines have conflicts of interest, with most serving as a consultant or a member of an advisory board, according to a study from The Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study found conflicts of interest were reported by 56 percent of 498 people who helped write 17 guidelines for the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology from 2003 to 2008.
Individuals who led guideline committees saw an even higher rate of conflicted interest — 81 percent had personal financial interests in companies affected by the guidelines, according to a New York Times report.
Both cardiology groups have issued a joint statement saying they tightened their conflict-of-interest rules in 2010. They now require people leading guideline-writing groups and a majority of the group members to not have conflicts of interests.
Read more about conflicts of interest in healthcare:
– Duke Revisits Conflict of Interest Policy for Physicians, Drug Companies
– Thinking Beyond the Financial Aspect of a Conflict of Interest
– Harvard Medical School Sets Strict Conflict of Interest Rules
