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Letters to the Editor
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The Journal
Declarations of interest
From Mr J. Underhill, MRPharmS
A number of recent letters in The Pharmaceutical Journal have prompted
me to look in vain for a declaration of interest statement from the authors.
Examples include the recent letter by Norman
Evans (PJ, 1 July, p11)
promulgating the use of lercanidipine with the almost exclusive use of
the brand name (Zanidip) to describe the drug in question, a practice
usually being the domain of industry-sponsored promotional materials.
What is the policy of the PJ on this? Most, if not all, other professional
journals ask for prospective contributors (for articles or letters) to
provide a statement giving them the opportunity to declare any interests
they may have.
Everyone’s thoughts can be influenced by their experiences and
values so the existence of any financial arrangements between authors
and pharmaceutical manufacturers are, therefore, of interest to readers
so we can make a judgement as to validity of the opinions given. This
is particularly the case where statements are made without a suitable
reference to support them, as in the case of Mr Evans’s letter.
In this age of openness and clinical governance, I would strongly urge
the PJ to adopt an editorial policy where such declarations are made
a necessary part of any contribution to the columns of the PJ.
Jonathan Underhill
Assistant Director, Education and Development
National Prescribing Centre
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Since Mr Evans was referring in particular to a branded drug, we
thought it appropriate in this case to use the brand name rather than
the generic name. Mr Evans has confirmed that there are no financial
arrangements between him and the manufacturer of Zanidip. He did supply
references with his letter but we omitted these because we were not
able to confirm their full citations as we went to press. The relevant
references are:
· Borghi C, Prandin
MG, Dormi A, Ambrosiani E. Improved tolerability of the dihydropyridine
calcium-channel antagonist lercanidipine: the
lercanidipine challenge trial. Blood Pressure Supplement 2003;1:14–21.
· Fogari R, Mugellini A, Corradi L, et al. Efficacy of lercanidipine vs losartan
on left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients. Journal
of Hypertension 2000;18(Suppl 2):S65.
· Greener M. Wasted medicines and avoidable adverse
events: a multibillion pound problem. Journal of Medical Economics 2006;9:27–44.
The Journal’s advice
for contributors has been available on our website
for many years. There, we clearly state our policy: “Submitted articles,
papers or letters should include a declaration of any financial, commercial,
personal or occupational interest that readers should know about.”
— EDITOR |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal