On July 18, the Council of the Order of Physicians notified Lyon virologist Bruno Lina of a conflict of interest not mentioned during his participation in a television program 5 years ago.
The story dates back to January 2017. Professor Bruno Lina, a figure in virology in France, participates in the television program C’est dans l’Air around the theme of vaccines against the human papillomavirus. After the broadcast of the program, the patient association E3M (Entraide aux Malades de Myofasciite à Macrophages) filed a complaint against the Lyon virologist with the Rhône Alpes disciplinary chamber of the Order of Physicians.
The association criticizes him for not having mentioned a possible conflict of interest with a pharmaceutical laboratory producing vaccines against the human papillomavirus. For E3M, as president of the scientific council of the Expertise and Information Group on Flu (GEIG), financed by the pharmaceutical industry, Professor Lina “maintains links with many laboratories“.
The association also criticizes the Lyon virologist for having, during the same television program, “lacked the caution required by the public health code in declaring the controversies over vaccines against this disease unfounded“.
In 2018, the Order of Physicians of Rhône Alpes rejected the complaint of the E3M association, which appealed against this decision before the national disciplinary chamber of the Order. In 2020, Professor Lina supports “that no link between him and the pharmaceutical industry exists, that he should have declared the time of his participation in the show and that he does not personally receive any sum from the sponsors of the GEIG“. Regarding his comments on vaccines against the human papillomavirus, he claims to have only” relayed the position of the medical community on the vaccines in question“.
On July 18, the National Disciplinary Chamber of the Order of Physicians finally rendered its decision. She does not hold any fault on the part of Professor Lina regarding her comments on the quality of vaccines against the papillomavirus. On the other hand, she believes that during the television program in question, the virologist should have mentioned the links between the GEIG and the pharmaceutical companies. It is for this reason that the Order of Physicians notified Bruno Lina of a warning.