Resignation for failure to disclose

Dr. Jose Baselga made news recently when media reported that he failed to disclose millions of dollars of income that he had received from companies. As the chief medical officer of a prestigious cancer center, and as a prominent researcher, Dr. Baselga was in the position to influence treatment guidelines.

The New York Times published an opinion piece that explains why conflicts of interest can be detrimental to scientific understanding and the health of society. Apparently, policy changed in the 1980s, opening up opportunities for researchers to earn additional income through royalties, and that policy change has made researchers far more vulnerable to the influence of companies. The opinion piece cited a study that shows that studies whose conclusions about antidepressants were negative often were not published or were spun to convey a more positive outcome. We believe that transparency and disclosure are helpful, although a lack of enforcement might make current policies inadequate.