Tobacco funded research: how even journals with bans can’t stem the tide
Even when publishers, authors, and universities are willing to restrict ties to the industry, evidence indicates that they struggle to identify funding sources because tobacco companies have funded front groups and have diversified into pharmaceutical and health technology. BMJ has updated its tobacco policy. In addition to excluding research funded by the tobacco industry, BMJ journals will also exclude work where authors have personal financial ties to the tobacco industry.
CMEPEDIA asks its authors to declare all their interests, for the last two years, but preferably throughout their careers, to create a firewall between the educational material and funding by the tobacco industry. Implementing this measure poses a challenge, as it relies on the accuracy of the author’s declaration.
