Last month, Canada’s Health Committee appointed Bernard Prigent, Pfizer Canada’s vp and medical director, to the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which sets policy, directions, and strategies for publicly funded health research. At the time, CIHR president Alain Beaudet said he hopes to create closer ties with industry to ensure involvement and investment.

But the move has not gone over well with some Canadians, who fear the appointment creates ethical quandaries. And so a petition is being circulated in hopes of convincing the committee, which meets on Monday, Nov. 30, to change its collective mind and rescind the appointment. Two reasons are cited for drawing up the the petition:

1 - Pfizer has a “well-documented history of transgressions against the integrity of science,” according to the petition, which cites various fines, including the recent $2.3 billion settlement, paid for improper marketing. “It is both empirically and symbolically troublesome that an official of a company renowned for its egregious behaviour would be honoured with an appointment to the CIHR Governing Council.”

2 - “CIHR has a mandate to facilitate the commercialization of health research and promote economic development through health research. Until now, this mandate has been met by including members of the business sector (but not the pharmaceutical industry) on Governing Council and by consulting with the pharmaceutical industry on an as-needed basis,” the petition states. “…the interests of the pharmaceutical industry are not and cannot be aligned with the interests of the public. The appointment of any individual who is an active member of a pharmaceutical company therefore cannot be justified by reference to the commercialization mandate.”