In a debate held at the National Assembly, experts have called for better supervision expertise of health and criminal sanctions in case of lack of independence.
France does not finish with influenza A. While the activity of the virus remains for nine weeks well below the epidemic threshold, the controversy swelled regarding the vaccination campaign and the role of French experts, too tied to the pharmaceutical industry according to some. Currently, according to the Sentinel network, ILI confirmed during a consultation with a GP have a frequency of 28 cases per 100 000 inhabitants. It is far from the pandemic, enacted beyond the 149 cases per 100 000.
On February 24, the National Assembly had agreed to the creation a commission of inquiry into the vaccination of influenza A (H1N1), launched in the fall. Wednesday is an audition group (health officials, experts, associations) which was organized in the Palais Bourbon, at the initiative of Socialist MP Gerard Bapt, group president of Environmental Health Studies. The discussions have reached a conclusion: the health expertise should be better supervised and open civil society.
Currently, experts who advise on products or strategies of health, must certainly be a declaration of conflict of interest and specify the personal interests they may have in any matter, including their links with the laboratories. But the problem is that the statement is not verified and there is no penalty for failure. "There is an unfair stigma of experts," said Jean Marimbert, CEO of Afssaps Agency (the drug). The health expert Bruno Lina suggests that professionals provide expressions of interest "contract" in which they engage, and they can be "Criminally prosecuted" for any omissions or falsehoods.
Several speakers also put forward ideas for better support expertise. Martial Mettendorf, secretary general of the Directorate General of Health, has indicated that a charter of ethics of public health expertise, common to all health agencies, was initiated. Marc Mortureux, who will head the new agency involving AFSSA (food) and Afsset (Environment and Labour), revealed that a scientific council would be "the guarantor of the scientific quality of the expertise and independence "And that would be created" an ethics committee and prevention of conflicts of interest. " He pledged to hold public debates and open expertise to the humanities.
A "high authority of the alert and expertise"
Guespereau For Martin, director of Afsset, expertise should not focus only on risks "proven" but also "uncertainties" applying the precautionary principle. It must also be open to civil society, to ask the right questions. "If I do not know what risk people are afraid, I can not answer, "he said.
Finally, Andre Cicolella, Environmental Health Network, has, meanwhile, suggested creating a "high authority of the alert and expertise," which would define the principles and would follow. "Without Constable, the Highway Code is a scrap of paper," he summarized.
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