From: Gavin Giovannoni [mailto:g.giovannoni@qmul.ac.uk]
Sent: 16 August 2011 08:18
To: ‘eitanman1@gmail.com’
Subject: Query
Sent: 16 August 2011 08:18
To: ‘eitanman1@gmail.com’
Subject: Query
Dear Dr Auriel
There is a query on our blog about whether or not you have any conflicts of interest in relation to your recent publication on CCSVI. Would it be possible to leave a post on this issue on the blog? Thanks.
Please use the following URL:
With best wishes
Gavin Giovannoni
Prof. of Neurology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London
For teams researching CCSVI, would you consider it a conflict of interest if the researchers had on-going financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies (eg Biogen, Novartis, Serono etc). I don’t mean the pharma companies funding the CCSVI research, but more generally providing funding to the institution or people doing the research?
Re: "For teams researching CCSVI, would you consider it a conflict of interest if the researchers had on-going financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies…"No. Why would pharma funding affect their research on CCSVI? If it did it would be tantamount to a conspiracy. Surely this would also apply to other areas of research that are unrelated to CCSVI, e.g. vitamin D & EBV? As far as I am concerned there is no evidence that CCSVI researchers are trying to prevent anything but the facts from emerging.
Dr Auriel isn't very chatty is he? What has he got to hide?
Re: "Dr Auriel isn't very chatty is he? What has he got to hide?"I agree; the lack of response is not good form. It may indicate a non-disclosure.