Medical Journals Don't Want Scrutiny

Dan Frith

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I was amazed by an article which appeared in today's Wall Street Journal entitled, "Medical Journal Decries Public Airing of Conflicts." The story is based upon a change in policy by the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

It appears the editors don't want any of its members criticizing study authors for failing to disclose they have been paid by drug companies, or others, who sell the products and medications which are the subjects of the reported study. Are you kidding me!

JAMA was criticized last year for its delay in admitting that a study it published on the use of antidepressants in stroke patients was authored by a psychiatrist who failed to disclose his financial relationship with the maker of the drug. That embarrassment brought about the recent policy change when another physician (practicing medicine in the US) became aware of the failure to disclose/conflict of interest and wrote a letter to the British Medical Journal disclosing the fact.

So what does JAMA do? It institutes a new policy requiring any physician who reports a conflict of interest must remain quiet while JAMA investigates the allegations, which may take months and months. What if JAMA never gets around to completing its investigation? What if patients are killed or injured in the interim?

My Take: Sounds like the fox is guarding the hen house!