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Corporate dollars influence published science
Hi all -
Thought you might find the below information interesting. Read it in
Spectrum ("The Wholistic News Magazine"), a print magazine that gives
brief summaries of the information in articles from lots of sources, on
topics like food & nutrition, environment, mind & spirit, healing,
medicine, and society. (3519 Hamstead Court, Durham NC 27707, email:
wholenews@msn.com). This particular piece is based on information in
Scientific American 11/96.
Hope you find it interesting -
P. Dines
CORPORATE PROFIT VERSUS SCIENCE
American trust scientists and doctors more than any other professionals,
but, recently, a number of leading scientists have expressed concern that
the credibility and effectiveness of science are being corrupted by money.
In order to maximize the profits of corporate investors, increasing secrecy
imposed on researchers is keeing valuable, and even potentially lifesaving
discoveries from reaching the public.
In times past, if a scientist discovered something exciting, he might run
down the hallways telling everyone about it. If a scientist kep quiet about
his or her work, it was so they could be the first to publish. Now,
important discoveries made under corporate-funded projects are sometimes
kept secret for many months, just to maximize corporate profits, or
minimize corporate losses. A good example is what happened during
Monsanto's campaign to gain acceptance for the controversial bovine growth
hormone.
Scientists funded by Monsanto initially reported that cows given the growth
hormone only experienced a minor increase in udder infections. But, when
independent researchers examined the data, they found that the previously
published reports had mysteriously only analyzed a part of the data. With
a more thorough analysis, they found that cells associated wth infections
rose by about 20% in cows given the growth hormone. Because Monsanto
objected to publication of these damning results, the investigators had to
go on Canadian national television to get the news out to the public, and
the results have yet to be published.
Government funding for academic research has declined over the years, and
corporate funding has picked up some of the slack. While it's good that
research continues to be funded, many corporations require scientists to
sign contracts delaying or even preventing the publication of any results
that will affect the bottom line - regardless of whether it deprives the
public of valuable information. For example, when Boots Pharmaceutical
paid a researcher to compare its drug Synthroid, a synthetic thyroid
hormone, with three generic drugs, it was expected that the less expensive
generics would not be as effective. The investigation found, however, that
all were equally effective, and Boots refused to allow the paper to be
published bcause it would cergainly cut into their $600 million yearly
sales of the drug. Fortunately for the public, the matter was later brought
to light by the Wall Street Journal.
This material is presented for private discussion, research
and educational purposes only. (Fair Use: Sec 107; H.R. 2223)
Do not publish, broadcast or otherwise distribute this material
without prior written authority.
PD NOTE: I know of other examples where researchers signed contracts giving
the corporation control of whether results are published, and that resulted
in negative results not being published. This should be of serious concern
to anyone who cares that science keeps its role as truth-teller, for that
is in the process of being seriously eroded. In a world, where only
corporate-sponsored truths are told, we will not/do not get the full
picture on which to make our decisions. (An older book that describes this
underlying mechanism well is _The Pesticide Conspiracy_, Robert van den
Bosch, 1978, available through PAN (panna@panna.org). There are also more
recent/more dramatic examples of it.)