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Conflicts of interests and drugs: where are we? Volume 18, issue 5, Septembre-Octobre 2011

Author
CHU de Nancy, hôpital de Brabois, service d’hépato-gastroentérologie, rue du Morvan, 54500 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France

A conflict of interest arises when an individual is able to influence the independent, impartial and objective exercise of the mission of a public service agency. The agencies in charge of drugs in France are the French agency of drugs (Afssaps), the European Medicines Agency (both for marketing authorization and pharmacovigilance) and the High Authority of Health (for reimbursement and guidelines). There have been laws, which, since their inception, determine the management of conflicts of interests by these agencies, specifically with the requirement of a public declaration of ties of interest by the experts but in absence of verifications and sanctions, these rules were not strictly put in practice. A new law will be discussed by the French national assembly and the senate in the fall of 2011. This law is intended to institute a public declaration of interests with sanctions in case of non-respect. In addition, this law will require notification by industry of all fees paid to health professionals, medical associations, specialized papers and consultancy organizations.