The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Office of Research Integrity, U.S.Department of Health, or any other Federal agency.

Continued scientific and medical progress in Central and Eastern Europe depends on the development of an atmosphere that is conducive to implementing the changes that are necessary to bring better health and longer lives for everyone. Privatization and commercialization are threatening the objectivity of clinical research and the availability of health care because uncontrolled market mechanisms focused on profit are nurturing conflict of interest that generate bias and unreliability into research and medicine. Changes are needed that address the following: – (...) The amount of public support for basic and clinical research and health care, – standards for the conduct of clinical trials and delivery of health care, – administrative procedures for responding to the conflict of interest problem. (shrink)

The three papers which follow this meeting report by Paul J. Friedman, Daniel Steiner, and Joost P. H. Drenth were presented at the symposium reviewed above.