2008 Woodie Awards
Medical research grants under investigation
Issue date: 11/20/08
In recent months, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee has been leading an investigation into the policies of universities that regulate how medical researchers report conflicts of interest.
Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) halted a $9.3-million grant to Emory University, based on allegations that the coordinator of the project receiving the funds, Charles Nemeroff, failed to disclose income that he received from the drug company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), thus violating federal regulations.
"The issue is transparency," Grassley said in an e-mail. "Patients rely on their doctors' advice and have a right to know about financial relationships."
The Iowa Senator emphasized that the reporting of a conflict is his main concern.
"The major issue in my work is compliance with conflict of interest reporting requirements and achieving greatly expanded disclosure of financial relationships," he said.
According to Grassley, the industry's substantial support for continuing medical education and the use of the industry's money to pay for articles that present a scientific point of view are two worrisome tenets of medical research.
According to the Hopkins Medical Institute Web site, Hopkins defines a conflict of interest as "a situation where you are conducting research that is sponsored by, or involves a product of, a company for which you are consulting or providing other outside services, in which you have a personal financial interest, in which your spouse/domestic partner and/or minor dependent has a financial interest, [or] for which you can influence purchasing decision."
The Medical Institute Web site also explains another situation that creates a conflict of interest.
"Similarly, conflicts of interests can also occur in situations where you are conducting research involving a product for which you are named an inventor on a related license."
Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) halted a $9.3-million grant to Emory University, based on allegations that the coordinator of the project receiving the funds, Charles Nemeroff, failed to disclose income that he received from the drug company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), thus violating federal regulations.
"The issue is transparency," Grassley said in an e-mail. "Patients rely on their doctors' advice and have a right to know about financial relationships."
The Iowa Senator emphasized that the reporting of a conflict is his main concern.
"The major issue in my work is compliance with conflict of interest reporting requirements and achieving greatly expanded disclosure of financial relationships," he said.
According to Grassley, the industry's substantial support for continuing medical education and the use of the industry's money to pay for articles that present a scientific point of view are two worrisome tenets of medical research.
According to the Hopkins Medical Institute Web site, Hopkins defines a conflict of interest as "a situation where you are conducting research that is sponsored by, or involves a product of, a company for which you are consulting or providing other outside services, in which you have a personal financial interest, in which your spouse/domestic partner and/or minor dependent has a financial interest, [or] for which you can influence purchasing decision."
The Medical Institute Web site also explains another situation that creates a conflict of interest.
"Similarly, conflicts of interests can also occur in situations where you are conducting research involving a product for which you are named an inventor on a related license."
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