A recent analysis revealed that nearly 60% of experts who reviewed manuscripts for four major medical journals received payments from the industry. The study, conducted over a three-year period, found that these reviewers and their institutions received over $1 billion from companies.
Between 2020 and 2022, out of 1,962 experts who reviewed studies for The BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine, 1,155 received some form of payment. More than half of these reviewers, totaling 1,060, accepted general payments such as travel, speaking fees, consulting fees, and meals. Additionally, 623 of the experts, which is 32%, received payments for research purposes.
The analysis revealed that the $1.06 billion in payments consisted mainly of research payments, totaling $1 billion. These payments were made to individual physicians and institutions where the experts served as principal investigators in clinical studies. General payments amounted to $64.2 million, with consulting fees accounting for $34.3 million of that total, as reported in JAMA.
This study sheds light on the financial relationships between industry and medical journal peer reviewers, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest and the credibility of published research. It is essential for transparency and integrity in medical research to address these issues and ensure that peer reviewers maintain objectivity and independence in their evaluations.
