When Scientists have a Conflict of Interest

Science Advisors Were Paid Industry Consultants Two scientists testifying at a public hearing about the safety of a new pesticide today admitted that they had once worked for the pesticide’s manufacturer. Both researchers denied that their testimony was influenced by the company. However, neither scientist had disclosed the relationship before giving a recommendation.

Scientists are expected to be completely honest about their investigations. Doctors are expected to place the welfare of their patients first. Yet, conflicts of interest can often threaten the credibility of a researcher. A conflict of interest exists when a person’s work can be influenced by personal factors such as financial gain, fame, future work, or favoritism.

The Viewpoints

Regulation is Necessary

Some scientists argue that, because the public must be able to trust the work of science, some rules are essential for preserving scientific integrity. Every profession should regulate its members, and every science publication should have strict rules about avoiding conflicts of interest. In any published work, announcements of potential conflicts should be required. In some cases, scientists should avoid or be forbidden to do work that involves personal gain in addition to the usual payment for doing the work. Some form of government regulation may be needed.

Regulation Is Unnecessary

Other scientists insist that conflict-of-interest regulations are unnecessary for the majority of researchers, who are honest and objective about their work. It is unfair to assume that a researcher’s discoveries would be different because a particular organization has paid for an investigation. In fact, without additional funding from some organizations, new drugs or new techniques would never have been developed. So, it is important that scientists be allowed to investigate any topic, especially when it would help others.

You Decide

1. Defining the Issue. When might scientists have a conflict of interest? Are financial incentives more dangerous to a scientist’s objectivity than other conflicts of interest? Explain.

2. Analyzing the Viewpoints. How might the views about a possible conflict of interest differ among a group of scientists, a science-journal editor deciding to publish a scientist’s work, the company employing a scientist, and people seeking information from a scientist?

3. Forming Your Opinion. How do you think this problem of possible conflicts of interest should be decided? Include information or reasoning that answers people with the opposite view.

4. Role-Playing. Suppose doctors who own a company developing a new medicine want their patients to help test the medicine. Let one person represent a doctor, a second person a patient, and a third person a medical reporter asking: Should the patients take part in the tests?