Conflict of interest or ideological divide: the need for ongoing collaboration between physicians and industry

Continued collaboration between the health profession and industry is essential for future innovation and for fighting disease and illness well into the 21st century. Evidence that suggests conflicts of interest have a negative effect on patient care or the total cost of health care is lacking. Many arguments put forth to address this issue include strictly limiting or severing ties with industry. Research takes place in university, government, and pharmaceutical laboratories, but only industry translates research into drug therapy. While both parties have a shared goal of optimizing health outcomes, industry critics conveniently invoke 'conflict of interest' to express their opinion about the need to more strictly regulate physician/industry interactions. Retreat from industry by academic institutions and working in isolation are simply not strategic options and other points of view must be expressed to help avoid the 'triumph of emotion over fact'.