Allegiance to a particular form of therapy or financial ties to a pharmaceutical company are among the phenomena that can undermine a physician’s primary goal, to provide the best possible treatment for his or her patients. In this video, KLAUS LIEB explores the ways in which conflicts of interest occur for both physicians and medical researchers before providing some suggestions as to how they might be avoided. Employing methods including surveys, systematic reviews and a randomized controlled trial, Lieb finds that conflict of interest has a notable influence in several of the areas studied. Demonstrating that educating medical students about the dangers of conflict of interest can go a long way towards reducing its impact, Lieb’s work provides important food for thought for physicians, medical researchers and regulatory bodies.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB10747

Researcher

Klaus Lieb is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center, Mainz and Managing Director of the German Resilience Center (DRZ). His main research interests include clinical resilience research and cognitive enhancement and conflicts of interest in medical practice and research. A member of the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association (DCGMA), Lieb is the author of several books including Conflicts of Interest, Corruption and Compliance in the Health Service (MWV, 2018). The recipient of a Golden Helix award in 2004, Lieb was awarded the Hamburger Prize for his work on Personality Disorders in 2013.

Institution

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is committed to the spirit of its namesake in promoting innovative ideas, in inspiring people, and in using knowledge to transcend boundaries. With more than 31,000 students, JGU is one of the largest universities in Germany. As a comprehensive university, it embraces almost all academic disciplines and also maintains a Medical Center. At JGU, some 4,150 academics, among them 540 professors, research and teach at more than 150 departments, institutes, and clinics. Furthermore, the integration of two art schools is unique in the German higher education sector. Mainz University is an internationally recognized research university. It owes its reputation to its outstanding researchers and their excellent achievements in particle and hadron physics, materials sciences, translational medicine, life sciences, and historical cultural studies. The university's PRISMA + Cluster of Excellence, where primarily particle and hadron physicists collaborate, is at the cutting edge of international research.
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Original publication

Medical Students’ Attitudes to and Contact with the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Survey at Eight German University Hospitals

Lieb Klaus and Koch Cora
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
Published in 2013

A Survey of German Physicians in Private Practice about Contacts with Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives

Lieb Klaus and Brandtönies Simone
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
Published in 2010

Contact Between Doctors and the Pharmaceutical Industry, their Perceptions, and the Effects on Prescribing Habits

Lieb Klaus and Scheurich Armin
PloS One
Published in 2014

The Financing of Drug Trials by Pharmaceutical Companies and its Consequences: Part 1: A Qualitative, Systematic Review of the Literature on Possible Influences on the Findings, Protocols, and Quality of Drug Trials

Lieb Klaus, Ludwig Wolf-Dieter, Schott Gisela, Pachl Henry, Limbach Ulrich and Gundert-Remy Ursula
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
Published in 2010

The Financing of Drug Trials by Pharmaceutical Companies and its Consequences: Part 2: A Qualitative, Systematic Review of the Literature on Possible Influences on Authorship, Access to trial data, and Trial Registration and Publication

Lieb Klaus, Ludwig Wolf-Dieter, Schott Gisela, Pachl Henry, Limbach Ulrich and Gundert-Remy Ursula
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
Published in 2010

Conflicts of Interest and Spin in Reviews of Psychological Therapies: A Systematic Review

Lieb Klaus, von der Osten-Sacken Jan, Stoffers-Winterling Jutta, Reiss Neele and Barth Jürgen
BMJ Open
Published in 2016

Interessenkonflikte Korruption und Compliance im Gesundheitswesen

Published in 2018

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