February 2002 -- According to researchers, the vast majority of doctors who are involved in the process of establishing national guidelines for treatment of various diseases are financially tied to the pharmaceutical industry, and that relationship could inappropriately influence their recommendations. The research, reported on in the February 6th issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," found that 87% of guideline authors had some connection to the drug companies, but these relationships frequently were not disclosed. As many as 38% of those doctors surveyed had served as employees or consultants for pharmaceutical companies, 58% received financial support for medical research, and 59% were linked to drug companies whose drugs were covered in the treatment guidelines developed. The researchers also said that since only about half of the doctors contacted actually participated in the survey, the total number of doctors linked to the pharmaceutical companies is likely higher. (Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association 2002;287:612-617.)

In the thyroid world, it's clear that the organizations that create thyroid guidelines have financial relationships with the pharmaceutical companies. The main thyroid treatment guidelines are provided by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). In their guidelines for thyroid cancer, they clearly state that the guidelines were developed with funding from Knoll Pharmaceutical Company, which at the time of guidelines development was the company that produced and distributed Synthroid, the market-dominant levothyroxine thyroid hormone replacement drug. (Knoll was sold to Abbott Labs, which is now the manufacturer of Synthroid.) The AACE home page also prominently lists its sponsors, which include Synthroid and its logo.