Multiple Sclerosis Patients Want Full Disclosure

Individuals with multiple sclerosis want to know what’s going on behind closed doors concerning drug research for this disease. A new study shows that MS patients want full disclosure concerning the financial relationship between the doctors and the drug companies in pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials (ISCTs) before they will agree to participate in such research.

Andrew Solomon, MD, a neurologist and MS specialist at the University of Vermont, and his colleagues from several other universities and medical centers, recently reported their findings in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. They came to this conclusion after reviewing the responses on an anonymous survey completed by 522 individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Clinical trials
Participation in clinical trials has the potential to provide benefits for the subjects as well as other current and future patients, along with yielding critical information for the investigators. However, when there are financial relationships between physicians and pharmaceutical companies involved in such research, red flags are raised about bias and the validity of the findings.

If you agree to participate in pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials (as well as other types of clinical trials), you are provided with information about the study, including its risks, in an informed consent document, which you need to sign before you can participate in the research. However, currently you do not see information concerning potential financial conflicts of interest regarding the participating physicians, such as monies generated by the trial or fees given to the doctors for consulting services or speaking engagements.