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Intérêts et conflits d’intérêts: le point de vue d’un expert

Interests and conflicts of interests: an expert opinion

  • Synthèse / Review Article
  • Published:
Oncologie

Abstract

An increasing part of funding in research comes from industries. Many studies show that the source of funding has a strong impact on the results and the presentation of the studies, in all the fields of biomedical research. There are multiple, nonexclusive, mechanisms, including the questions addressed by the studies, the study quality, and publication biases. This first phenomenon is amplified by the impact of the funding source on the citation rate, through various citation biases. However, the studies do not rule out the veracity of the published facts, but highlight the issues of the pertinence of the addressed questions, the communication, and the perception of the results. Since around 10 years, most of the expertise agencies implemented stringent rules for the management of competing interests and many proposals have been made for research. A part of the solution comes from a better knowledge of this phenomenon and its management at all the levels of the development and use of scientific research.

Résumé

Une part de plus en plus importante du financement de la recherche repose sur des fonds privés. De nombreuses études démontrentque la source de financement a un impact certain sur les résultats des recherches biomédicales et leur présentation, quel que soit le domaine concerné. Les causes en sont multiples et non exclusives et concernent aussi bien la nature des questions étudiées, la qualité des études que les biais de publication ou ceux liés à l’arrêt prématuré des études. Ce premier phénomène est amplifié par un impact de la source de financement sur le taux de citation des études à travers divers biais de citation. Les études ne remettent pas en cause la véracité des faits publiés, mais plutôt leur pertinence, leur communication et leur perception. Depuis une dizaine d’années, les systèmes d’expertise ont intégré la gestion des intérêts et des conflits éventuels qui peuvent en découler et de nombreuses propositions ont été faites pour la recherche. Une partie des solutions passe par une meilleure connaissance du phénomène et par sa prise en compte à tous les niveaux du développement et de l’utilisation des connaissances.

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Correspondence to A. Martin.

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Cet article reprend une communication de l’auteur au Congrès SFNEP 2009

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Martin, A. Intérêts et conflits d’intérêts: le point de vue d’un expert. Oncologie 12, 657–665 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10269-010-1956-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10269-010-1956-x

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