Three of the experts who wrote the guidelines for a pandemic have received money from the industry.
A report on Friday accusing the World Health Organization (WHO) not to disclose the conflict of interest of at least three of the people who wrote the guidelines that were governed by dozens of governments when it comes to spending billions of dollars on measures against swine flu.
According to the document prepared by the medical journal British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Office of Investigative Journalism, at least three of the researchers who presented the bulk of the scientific documents underlying the procurement of drugs by the government had received any money from pharmaceutical companies producing drugs.
The authors say that had he known that this was the case, governments have been dealing with information and recommendation otherwise.
Iaian Overton, editor in chief of the Office of Investigative Reporting told the BBC that "the pattern (of conduct against a pandemic) were heavily influenced by three annexes that were written by three individuals, teachers Fred Hayden, Arnold Monto and Karl Nicholson.
listed companies are Roche and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Roche had profits of billions of dollars from the sale of Tamiflu to governments that followed the WHO recommendations, while GSK produced and some antiviral Relenza.
"When there is conflict?"
"While WHO continues to remain tight and do not disclose who is advising and conflicts of interest, we feel this is counterproductive. WHO is under suspicion, because it is believed to be hiding something and this raises questions about the independence one of its experts, "said Overton.
But Gregory Hart, a spokesman for WHO, said on BBC World that the organization "calls statements of interest to all experts and that was what happened on this occasion. The statements are then evaluated by the head of the Committee and the Secretariat and they are the ones who will check for these conflicts of interest are really such, if you need more information or if indeed there is conflict is asked to leave the committee. That did not happen this time ".
" There is a distinction between conflict of interest of a person who speaks and charge for them and the conflict of interest from anyone who has a salary of a company, "said Hart, who hinted that one of the criteria taken into account in determining whether there is such Conflict is the percentage of money a person receives from a pharmaceutical company in total personal income.
WHO spokesman also accused the British Medical Journal (BMJ) have been "incredibly tight" in the selected information to its report:
"The BMJ talks of three experts on a committee of 20, it is very difficult the votes of three people to overcome a 17. "
"The issue is the payment"
But Deborah Cohen, author of the study and reports editor of BMJ, said that "the question is whether people who have been paid by companies that have made billions of dollars selling these drugs should take the decision and write the manuals of behavior and use of these drugs. "
" I think it is not acceptable, "Cohen concluded.
The BMJ report and the investigative journalism office also puts in his look at the secrecy surrounding the committee decided to raise the pandemic of swine flu crisis, changing the existing parameters till then.
The document says that protecting the identity of its members, which is only known to the president, to avoid pressure industry, but at least three members mentioned belong to that industry pressure which want to escape.
But WHO spokesman said that "those Fully three members declared their interests and their own secret committee determined, knowledge of information, there is no conflict of interest. Once the committee has completed its tasks will be posted all information relating to it. "
While there is this exchange of accusations, doubts about the management of WHO during the crisis of the swine flu influenza multiply Across the globe, with research being carried out in many European countries, independent agencies and even within the same organization.
BBC Mundo.com
Discuss this story from the Ethics of Third Generation together with the Codes of Ethics.
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