I just got back from the Global Health Consortium, held this year in Orlando, Florida. First I want to say that the IRCW put on a great conference – all the speakers and panels I attended were star-studded, to say the least, within the field of public health. That said, I was a little surprised by the IRCW’s decision to allow corporate sponsors to saturate every event at the conference. I understand that someone has to pay the bill for these lavish events, but we should be weary of all the information presented, for example, at a panel, where a multinational drug company that is currently lobbying federal approval for its cell metabolizing GHO-inhibitor drug has it’s posters all over the walls when that company’s drug hasn’t even been approved by the FDA, last I checked (this morning).
Where am I going with this? We need to be careful here, as a society, or we run the risk of allowing corporate interests to overpower the social benefits of health research. It’s already happening. We live in a world where multinational drug companies are essentially given the message that their sponsorship of government-run research centers will help smooth the process towards getting their drugs and health technology patents approved. Those who don’t play the game will encounter some unexpected bumps in the road. If we don’t put a stop to the infestation of corporate interested that has flooded the gates of FDA approvals, we’re going to look back in fifty years and see that a lot of the research, products, and drugs that were approved in our lifetimes made plenty of money for big corporations while hurting people along the way. Who is watching over the night watchmen?
-Dr. Anton Spiteri
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