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Canada: Adviser Had No Conflict, College Says Laura Eggertson, Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau Toronto Star (Canada) Thursday 24 Sep 1998 Source: Toronto Star (Canada) Pubdate: Thur, 24 Sep 1998 Author: Laura Eggertson, Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau ADVISER HAD NO CONFLICT, COLLEGE SAYS Health Canada knew of links to drug firm OTTAWA - Health Canada knew about an expert adviser's ties to a drug company whose product she was reviewing and decided she had no conflict of interest, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons says. Dr. RE9jeanne Gougeon told the federal government she had been a consultant for Monsanto Canada before she was appointed to an expert advisory committee reviewing a drug the company makes, said Dr. Henry Dinsdale, executive director of the college. Health Canada asked the college to form an objective, impartial committee to review all the data Monsanto provided the government on BST, or bovine somatotropin, a controversial veterinary drug. The committee is charged with rendering an opinion on whether Health Canada drew the correct conclusions on whether the drug will harm people who drink the milk or eat the beef of treated cows. Gougeon co-wrote an article in 1994 that recommended the government approve the drug. She disclosed her consultancy with Monsanto on the conflict-of-interest forms the government requires, Dinsdale said. The form requires all committee members to disclose whether they believe they have a real, apparent or perceived conflict of interest. NDP Leader Alexa McDonough called on Health Minister Allan Rock Tuesday to remove Gougeon from the committee. ``I don't think there's any question that if the person doesn't see (for) herself the obvious reasons for resigning, that the government ought to ensure that she's removed,'' McDonough said. Health Canada officials checked the conflict forms, Dinsdale said in an interview from Toronto. ``It is our understanding that they found the forms in order and agreed with the fact that members of the panel were comfortable in signing it and saying they did not have a conflict of interest.'' But a Health Canada spokesperson said Monday it's up to the Royal College, not the government, to act on information provided on the disclosure forms. CRITICS DISAGREE ``It is an arm's-length situation. It's the panel themselves that need to ensure they have the right people to carry out the job,'' said Pierre SauvE9. He said the Royal College of Physicians has the authority to ensure that all the people on the panel ``can discharge their responsibilities in an impartial manner.'' That was not the college's job, said Dinsdale. But after reviewing the forms again, the college does not think Gougeon has a conflict, he said. Critics of the government's drug regulation process disagree. ``The bottom line is that the whole process is a charade because at the end of the day, nobody is checking for conflict of interest,'' said Dr. Michele Brill Edwards. Brill Edwards was a senior drug reviewer who quit over what she says were concerns about the long-term safety of drugs being approved.
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