Conflict of interest in American neurology and neurological societies

AbstractAs physicians, we are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards when treating our patients, educating the medical community and society as a whole, and investigating new medical evidence. When we receive anything from, speak for and study in collaboration with the pharmaceutical and device industry, an opportunity for conflicts of interest (COI) develops. As a society, we have witnessed that COI can have highly negative and damaging effects; for example, COI related to leaded gasoline and tobacco use. Egregious COI in several cutting‐edge medical research endeavors have resulted in lethal outcomes, and most unfortunately, examples of similar flagrant COI continue to come to light. In the business of medical care and in research today, with many physicians being closely associated with for‐profit medical companies, the possibility of COI is always present. As an academic neurologist practicing in the USA, I review here the historical background, definition and nature of COI, which is both tangible and intangible. At present, public disclosure is the best practice to reduce COI by a process of checks and balances. The present review provides details of the COI proce