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PRESS RELEASES << ISMPP Endorses Transparent Writing Collaboration In Scientific Publications and Medical Society Guideline Prohibiting Ghostwriting
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ISMPP Endorses Transparent Writing Collaboration In Scientific Publications and Medical Society Guideline Prohibiting Ghostwriting
Published 6 May 2010
Briarcliff Manor, NY, May 6, 2010: The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS),
representing over 30 member organizations, has recently adopted a Code for Interaction with
Companies. While recognizing the role pharmaceutical and device companies play in developing and
marketing products to help patients live longer and healthier lives, CMSS has appropriately issued the
voluntary code to help ensure medical society interactions with industry meet the highest ethical
standards as they relate to transparency and independence.
“It is tremendous to see such a significant organization respecting the role by which the industry
benefits medical practice, while adding to the framework of integrity and guidance particularly in the
area of transparency,” said Julia Ralston, president of The International Society for Medical
Publication Professionals (ISMPP).
Many of the principles covered in the Code define the manner in which societies should ensure
independent control of educational and scientific programs and advocacy positions. The Code further
defines the need for societies to prohibit submission of "ghostwritten" manuscripts prepared for or on
behalf of industry companies. ISMPP endorses this position as it is entirely consistent with good
publication practice.1,2
Medical organizations such as the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) have also
previously clearly distinguished ghostwriting from transparent professional writing collaboration in
scientific publications. AAMC defined ghostwriting "as the provision of written material that is
officially credited to someone other than the writer(s) of the material. Transparent writing collaboration
with attribution between academic and industry investigators, medical writers, and/or technical experts
is not ghostwriting. The unacknowledged, undisclosed provision of content should not be permitted
under any circumstances."
ISMPP supports all efforts to fully acknowledge the involvement of a professional medical writer
whenever a professional writer has provided support to the author(s) responsible for development of a
manuscript. Ms. Ralston adds, “Albeit ISMPP’s interests are specifically in medical publications,
similar to the CMSS, we support full potential conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and all
efforts to discourage ghostwriting, while acknowledging the appropriate role of professional medical
writers.”
About the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals:
ISMPP is an independent
non-profit professional association with members from the pharmaceutical, medical device, and
biotechnology industries; publication planning and medical communication companies; academia; and
medical journal staff, including editors and publishers. Its goals are to support the educational needs of
medical publication professionals and to develop best practices that ensure the rigorous maintenance of
all ethical standards for reporting results of medical research. Additional information about ISMPP is
available by contacting the organization's Executive Director, Kimberly Goldin (phone: +1 914-945-
0507; email: kgoldin@ismpp.org), or online at http://www.ismpp.org.
Refs:
1 Norris R, Bowman A, Fagan JM, et al. International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) position
statement: the role of the professional medical writer. Current Medical Research and Opinions. 2007;23(8):1837-1840.
2 Graf C, Battisti W, Bridges D, et al. Good publication practice for communicating company sponsored medical research:
the GPP2 guidelines. BMJ 2009;339:b4330 doi: 10.1136/bmj.b4330
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Feedback: Do you have any comments about this article? Contact the Publisher, Peter Llewellyn.
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