Scientists have warned about the so-called “scientific establishment” in recent years, noting that industry groups and special interests wield growing influence over scientific research, academic institutions and government agencies.

Dr. Marcia Angell, a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School and former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, noted in a 2017 interview that scientists and medical journals were “getting caught inadvertently publishing false studies” because their research had become more beholden to the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Richard Horton,...