Sir

According to your survey of senior scientists in Germany (Nature 424, 117; 200310.1038/424117a), 80% feel that misconduct is a major problem in clinical research.

This outcome is consistent with a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which reveals a significant association between industry sponsorship and pro-industry results (J. E. Bekelman, Y. Li & C. P. Gross, J. Am. Med. Assoc. 289, 454–465; 2003). The JAMA analysis concludes that industry-sponsored studies are nearly four times more likely to reach pro-industry conclusions than are studies that are not industry-sponsored.

Obviously this is a major problem. The JAMA authors say “all investigators and sponsors undertaking human participant research should not only fully disclose the nature and extent of their relationships but also make available all research results from completed clinical trials in a comprehensive, publicly accessible registry”.

In my view, it should be mandatory for health authorities to consider the potential influence of industry sponsorship on the results of clinical studies during the approval process.