Seven scenarios of financial conflicts of interest in clinical research
| Conflict type label | Scenario description |
|---|---|
| *Each respondent answered questions for all seven scenarios. The scenarios were presented in random order to each respondent and customised to each respondent’s self reported diagnosis. | |
| Commercial funding | Imagine that even though the study will be done at a university medical centre, the company that makes the new drug is paying for the study. |
| Personal income | Imagine that the researcher conducting this study receives personal income from the study drug’s manufacturer, from activities such as consulting, being on advisory boards, and giving lectures at company sponsored events. |
| Per capita payments | Imagine that the drug company pays the researcher a lump sum of money per patient enrolled in the study that is greater than the expenses required to conduct the study. The money left after expenses goes into the researcher’s budget and is used in a variety of ways—for example, for other research projects, for travel to meetings, and for support staff, etc. at the discretion of the researcher. |
| Researcher patent | Suppose the researcher owns the patent on the drug being studied. If this drug is found to be safe and effective for treating [respondent’s illness], the researcher would receive a part of the profits from the sales of the drug. |
| University patent | Suppose the university medical centre owns the patent on the drug. If it is found to be safe and effective in treating [respondent’s illness], the university would receive a part of the profits from the sales of the drug. |
| Researcher stocks | Suppose the new drug is made by a small biotechnology company. The researcher owns a substantial portion of the stocks of the company. The value of the company’s stocks can rapidly go up or down by large amounts depending on whether the drug is seen to be safe and effective for treating [respondent’s illness]. |
| University stocks | Suppose the drug is made by a small biotechnology company. The university medical centre owns substantial portion of the stocks of the company. The value of the company’s stocks can rapidly go up or down by large amounts depending on whether the drug is seen to be safe and effective for treating [respondent’s illness]. |