Conflict of Interest Issues in Biomedical Research: Taiwanese Attitudes and Their Implications for Legal Policy

Abstract

本研究探討臺灣民眾對於生醫研究利益衝突之意向態度，以作為日後制定相關管制規範之參考。結果發現，民眾對於產業界所提供的生物與基因科技相關消息較不信任。當生醫研究者未來可能因為研究結果獲得財務利益時，部分民眾會因此較不願參與該研究。若研究的資助者為特定產業時，比起資助者為政府時，民眾參與該研究的意願較低。本研究建議，臺灣法規應明確化關於研究者財務利益衝突之管制，並探討機構的利益衝突問題之管理。

We conducted a study to investigate the public attitude toward biomedical researchers’ conflicts of interest. Respondents showed less trust in the information of bioand genetic technology that provided by certain industry. Respondents reported lower willingness to be research subjects when researchers disclose financial conflicts of interest. Besides, the respondents showed lower willingness to be research subjects when biomedical study was sponsored by certain industry rather than government. Biomedical researches’ conflicts of interest may erode the public trust and lower the willingness to be subjects. We suggest that individual conflicts of interest should be carried over into the current regulations.