No free lunch

Published on Monday 22 June 2009 21:52

MARISA de Andrade (Medical Matters, 16 June) failed to point out that GPs had given up their Saturday without pay to be trained in trial methodology. As Scottish Government policy is to promote research in primary care, her article is unbalanced.

We all want better treatments but getting good evidence is hard. We need to create strong research networks and a by-product of these is improved clinical practice. So getting family doctors involved is in all of our interests.

The Scot trial is creating vital research capacity. It is entirely run by the University of Dundee, with no pharmaceutical company involvement in any of our meetings. As such, mention of the ABPI code of practice, which governs how drugs are commercially promoted to doctors by industry, is entirely inappropriate.

Contrary to the picture painted by Ms de Andrade, attendees also got only standard set menus and no excessive hospitality was given.

PROF TOM MACDONALD

University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School

Dundee