In some ways the financial conflicts of interest make sense, because the people that best understand a set of symptoms probably also are the ones in the best position to create new treatments. Being undisclosed makes it feel way more scummy than it might actually be.
That should be true across medicine. A biotech is best suited to invent new medications for existing diseases consulting with or acquiring in-house talent that knows the disease inside and out.
Experts generally benefit from their expertise. Nothing new, shouldn't be controversial.
The thing is, society doesn't have to worry that the guy selling crutches is going to reinvent the definition of a broken leg to increase crutch sales.
We should worry about the guy selling crutches. He could be lobbying against safety standards that would decrease the number of broken legs. We should assume he's acting in his own best interest, and carefully consider if his actions align with our collective best interest. Disclosure is critical.
