tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post113383389807087756..comments2024-02-03T07:12:06.620-05:00Comments on U.S. Food Policy: Journal editor reminds Zemel to disclose dairy weight loss patentsusfoodpolicyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098394318544229984noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-1134572133214830722005-12-14T09:55:00.000-05:002005-12-14T09:55:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-1133965830640410202005-12-07T09:30:00.000-05:002005-12-07T09:30:00.000-05:00Sound science depends on honest disclosure of pate...Sound science depends on honest disclosure of patents and other conflicts of interest. Strict disclosure rules are already a compromise position, falling somewhere between (on the one hand) complete corruption of the scientific endeavor and (on the other hand) rules that would forbid publication by those with serious conflicts of interest. The current philosophy is to disclose conflicts and let the reader decide.<BR/><BR/>In contrast with a one-time grant, the intellectual property rights provided by a patent are an income-generating asset, whose future income stream depends on having the scientific community accept the patent's claims. A patent clearly falls under the journal's disclosure requirements. It is essential information for a reader who seeks to evaluate an article critically. The actual disclosure of support in Zemel's article in the International Journal of Obesity substantially understates his conflict of interest. Zemel's response to the letter, arguing that his patent is on the public record and hence did not require disclosure, provides neither a correct description of the journal's disclosure policies nor a sufficient response to the information needs of the readers, many of whom will not be dairy research experts or readers of U.S. Food Policy (two groups who already know of Zemel's patents). Far from reflecting some strange spaz attack by the editor, this particular patent over dairy weight loss claims is highly unusual, making disclosure important.usfoodpolicyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098394318544229984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-1133946013410870042005-12-07T04:00:00.000-05:002005-12-07T04:00:00.000-05:00It sounds like there's a "rest of the story" here,...It sounds like there's a "rest of the story" here, some sort of personal feud going on. Zemel is such a rock star and his activities are so well known that the editors can't be seriously suggesting that he made an attempt to conceal anything from either them or the prospective readers of his paper. Why the public spaz attack rather than a private note to Zemel?<BR/><BR/>I'm sure neither Zemel nor most of the journal submitters spend much time reading the detailed requirements for submitting papers to every journal they submit to. The last time I read those kind of requirements, they specified "elite typeface." Whoa--where's my IBM Selectric!<BR/><BR/>By the way, Zemel is listed as an "inventor" on the patents, as required by U.S. patent law, but I believe his university owns the patents. He does profit from them, however.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com