Web site to reveal doctors' ties with drug companies - News - Business

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Web site to reveal doctors' ties with drug companies

By Vivienne Fisher, ZDNet Australia
February 26, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Web-site-to-reveal-doctors-ties-with-drug-companies/0,139023166,120263701,00.htm

Plans for a Web site instigated by a group of doctors could see details of ties with pharmaceutical companies made public.

Dr Jim Hazel, an endocrinologist who works as a consultant at Westmead Hospital, said the aim of the Web site was to make transparent the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry.

Although Hazel stressed the relationship between doctors and drug companies was not necessarily a bad one, he believed that in some areas there was a need to put a bit more rigour into the relationship.

Currently the Web site is still at the planning stages, and one of the decisions Hazel said which would need to be made is whether or not to gate it.

Although no definite dates have been set, Hazel said there was a very large degree of support for the project and he was hoping the site would be able to go live as soon as possible.

Initially involving doctors working at Westmead Hospital, he said there had also been interest from other doctors about the idea.

Hazel said the concept of making details of the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies more transparent had been discussed for most of last year, with the idea of putting this on a Web site initially shaking up some people. "But I couldn't think of anything more open or transparent," he said, adding that the idea of using the Web had come from talking with lawyers he knew.

It is envisaged that details on the site could include information about any potential conflicts of interest; sponsorship of clinical trials; and details about any remuneration those involved receive.