Introduction
There are widespread financial relationships between physicians and healthcare industry, not merely for research-oriented endeavors but also for non-research activities such as consultative services and promotional initiatives. These financial relationships could cause to conflicts of interest among physicians. Previous studies have shown that more than 80% of infectious disease physicians received non-research payments from the industry for items such as food and beverages, stationery, textbooks, and lecture fees,[1] while 16.0% received research funding between 2013 and 2021 in the United States (US).[2] These payments are disproportionately concentrated among a small number of influential physicians, including clinical guideline authors, society leaders, and journal editors.[3-6] These financial relationships not only have ethical implications but also might directly or indirectly affect patient care by potentially biasing research outcomes, prescribing patterns, and clinical guidelines.[7] For journal editors, these financial relationships might jeopardize editorial decisions.[5,8]