Industry sponsorship of public health research has received increasing scrutiny, and, as a result, many multinational corporations (MNCs), such as The Coca-Cola Company and Mars Inc., have committed to transparency with regard to what they fund, and the findings of funded research. However, these MNCs often fund charities, both national and international, which then support research and promote industry-favourable policy positions to leaders. We explore whether one industry funded charity, the International Life Sciences Institute (‘ILSI’), is the scientifically objective, non-lobby, internationally-credible body that it suggests it is, so as to aid the international health and scientific communities to judge ILSI’s outputs. Between June 2015 and February 2018, U.S. Right to Know), a non-profit consumer and public health group, submitted five U.S. state Freedom of Information requests (FOIs) to explore ILSI engagement with industry, policy makers, and/or researchers, which garnered a total of 17,163 pages for analysis. Two researchers explored these documents to assess the activities and conduct of ILSI against its purported objectives. Within the received documents we identified instances of ILSI seeking to influence research, conferences, public messages, and policy, including instances of punishments for ILSI bodies failing to promote industry-favourable messaging. We identified ILSI promoting its agenda with national and international bodies to influence policy and law, causing the World Health Organization to withdraw from official relations with what it now considers a private sector entity. ILSI seeks to influence individuals, positions, and policy, both nationally and internationally, and its corporate members deploy it as a tool to promote their interests globally. Our analysis of ILSI serves as a caution to those involved in global health governance to be wary of putatively independent research groups, and to practice due diligence before relying upon their funded studies and/or engaging in relationship with such groups.

中文翻译：

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由行业资助的慈善机构是否在促进“倡导研究”或“循证科学”？：国际生命科学研究所的案例研究

公共卫生研究的行业赞助受到了越来越多的审查，因此，许多跨国公司（MNC），例如可口可乐公司和玛氏公司，都承诺在资助资金和调查结果方面保持透明资助研究。但是，这些跨国公司通常会为国家和国际慈善机构提供资金，这些慈善机构随后会支持研究并向领导者推广对行业有利的政策立场。我们探索一个由行业资助的慈善机构国际生命科学研究所（'ILSI'）是否表明它是科学的，客观的，非游说的，具有国际信誉的机构，以帮助国际卫生和科学界做出判断ILSI的输出。在2015年6月至2018年2月之间，非营利性消费者和公共卫生组织“美国知情权”提交了五份美国 州的信息自由请求（FOI）探索ILSI与行业，政策制定者和/或研究人员的互动，该活动共收集了17,163页用于分析。两名研究人员探索了这些文件，以评估ILSI的活动和行为是否达到了既定目标。在收到的文件中，我们确定了ILSI试图影响研究，会议，公共信息和政策的实例，包括对ILSI机构未能促进行业有利消息传递的惩罚实例。我们确定了ILSI与国家和国际机构一起促进其议程的发展，以影响政策和法律，从而导致世界卫生组织退出与它现在认为的私营部门实体的正式关系。ILSI试图影响个人，职位和政策，无论是在国内还是在国际上，它的公司成员都将其部署为在全球范围内促进其利益的工具。我们对ILSI的分析为警告那些参与全球卫生治理的人们提防那些可能独立的研究小组，并在依靠其资助的研究和/或与这些小组建立联系之前进行尽职调查。