In yet another sign of what Marcia Angell describes as “the widespread corruption of the medical profession by industry money,” a Columbia University study reveals that
Twenty-five out of 32 highly paid consultants to medical device companies in 2007, or their publishers, failed to reveal the financial connections in journal articles the following year…
Researchers followed the disclosure activities of a group of MDs and PhDs who were paid a million dollars or more by orthopedic device companies in 2007. Most of these people failed to disclose their financial conflicts of interest in the journals that published their articles.
And, as Angell points out, the journals get money from the companies too, in the form of advertisements, so they’re not about to actually enforce their disclosure policy…
Everybody’s getting paid, see. Professors at medical schools are getting paid. Journals are getting paid.
Some in this group might be getting paid twice, as it were. Ghostwriters, possibly hired by the same companies paying their consultancy fees, could be writing their articles for them…
Quelle postmodern! Simulacral research (ghost-written, guest-written), simulacral disclosure, simulacral journals…