Openness is not to be sniffed at

Last week's parliamentary debate on the pharmaceutical industry's influence on research drew heavily on a recent Times Higher exposé about a Procter & Gamble drug study by researchers at Sheffield University. But what pleased us more was a contribution from Julia Goldsworthy, Liberal Democrat MP for Falmouth and Camborne, that fully embraced the spirit of openness and transparency. "I should like to declare an interest," she announced before she went on to make her point. "I have a slight cold at the moment, so I am probably benefiting from some pharmaceutical products."