Dr David Tuller: A Non-COVID Post about KCL’s Rejection of My FOI Request

[Countrygirl]

https://www.virology.ws/2020/04/07/...HZRSWzoFso7Pw-3FkC8Unp6JUuwf8YzwrBjFtXCEZua2s

Trial By Error: A Non-COVID Post about KCL’s Rejection of My FOI Request

7 APRIL 2020

By David Tuller, DrPH
In the days before coronavirus was everything, I was writing about a major study of cognitive behavior therapy for irritable bowel syndrome. The study tested telephone-delivered cognitive behavior therapy, web-based CBT against treatment-as-usual for IBS symptom severity and other more generic domains.
Although the pre-COVID era feels like ancient history already, my last post on the IBS study was on February 24th–not much more than a month ago. On March 9th–the day I was supposed to be arriving in Bristol to attend the CFS/ME Research Collaborative conference–I received a response from King’s College London to a freedom of information request I’d sent. I wanted some details about a licensing deal for the web-based CBT program that the university had signed with a San Francisco-based start-up, Mahana Therapeutics.

 

[ScottTriGuy]

"...although the University recognises the inherent public interest in accountability through the transparency of the licensing process, the effect in this case would be likely to prejudice the university’s commercial interests. There is significant public interest in the university being able to maintain sources of income other than public funding. The public interest then favours the withholding of this information at the present time."

 

[Hip]

The website of Mahana Therapeutics — potentially a new enemy for the ME/CFS community!

You might like to contact them and give them a piece of your mind. I have.

 

[Judee]

I can't find the original article I read last year but it was about how many of these "scientific" studies are being tainted by pharmaceutical companies and other companies that have an interest in the studies coming out a certain way. What's scary is the article says that doctors rely on these studies in their recommendations to the patients.

Here is another good article on the topic:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...l-studies-may-be-tainted-by-funders-influence

Edit: Plus, these scientists (link below) are studying IBS and have found some actual physical causes for it. https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/ibs-and-serotonin/