Most of the leaders of top medical societies have personal financial ties to pharmaceutical and medical device companies, according to a study published May 27 in The BMJ.
The researchers found that 72 percent of board or governing council members at 10 of the top medical societies are involved in substantial financial relationships with drugmakers and devicemakers.
The study comes amid public concern over how the financial interests of medical societies affect clinical research, treatment regulation and physician education.
"These extensive ties between doctors and industry can undermine the integrity of research, education and practice — and threaten public trust in medicine," Raymond Moynihan, PhD, one of the study's authors, told STAT.