Abstract

Conflict of interest’s guidelines and regulations have been focused on ensuring good science, mainly understood as a science free from external coercion. However, recent major adverse events involving researchers with significant financial interests in the results of their studies have increased concerns about the risks that financial conflicts of interest pose to well-being of subjects who agree to participate in research. In this chapter, I describe what a conflict of interest in research is, sinoptically explore the main ethical concerns related to it, and propose what compelling requirements for policy and governance are.