Conflict of Interest in the Media
Stories in the Print Media - sorted by date | sorted by source
Date | Source | Title & Summary |
| October 15, 2008 | The Chronicle of Higher Education | "Conflict-of-Interest Concerns Halt NIH Project at Emory U." by Richard Monastersky - The NIH froze support for a $9.3-million, 5-year study held at Emory University because the principal investigator, Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff, failed to comply with federal regulations and university policies by underreporting payments from drug companies. The NIH's quick action comes after Senator Grassley discovered similar issues concerning researchers at Harvard, Stanford, the University of Texas, the University of Cincinatti, and others reporting payments from drug companies inaccurately. |
| October 8, 2008 | The New York Times | "Experts Conclude Pfizer Manipulated Studies" by Stephanie Saul - Experts found that Pfizer used tactics to delay and withhold studies that had negative results concerning off-label uses of the epilepsy drug, Neurontin. As part of a lawsuit, company emails discussing how to put a positive spin on negative research were released. Merck and Schering-Plough have also faced allegations of spinning research data within the last year. Please see paragraphs 1-3, 6-8, 12 and 13 for more details. |
| October 4, 2008 | The New York Times | "Top Psychiatrist Failed to Report Drug Income" by Gardiner Harris - Dr. Charles B Nemeroff, a leading psychiatrist from Emory, failed to comply with federal regulation and university policy by underreporting his earnings from drug and device companies for outside activities. Dr. Nemeroff's inaccurate earnings reports allowed him to continue to serve as an investigator on related research studies, including studies supported by federal grants. Senator Grassely unearthed this information by comparing the doctor's conflict of interest disclosures at Emory to company payment records. This is another example of the importance of accurate and complete disclosure. |
| September 25, 2008 | Wall Street Journal | "Lawsuit Says Medtronic Gave Doctors Array of Perks" by David Armstrong - A lawyer who previously worked for Medtronic Inc. has filed suit against the device maker, stating that Medtronic used unethical incentives such as paid vacations masquerading as conferences, trips to strip clubs, and kickbacks in order to increase revenue and evoke favorable responses from doctors. The lawsuit is an effort to recoup losses incurred from company inducements to prescribe Medtronic products covered by Medicare or Medicaid. For more details, please see paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, and 9. |
| September 24, 2008 | The Boston Globe | "Tufts Doctor is Chided on Ethics: US Senator Faults Federal Adviser for Endorsing Device" by Carey Goldberg - Senator Grassley sets his sights on NIH contractors. Dr. Marvin Konstam is accused of a breach of ethics in serving as a contractor for NIH, as a faculty member at Tufts Medical Center and as a medical director of Orquis, a private heart-device company. Senator Grassley believes this type of arrangement speaks to the underlying oversight problems that currently plague the NIH. Please see paragraphs 1, 3, 5, 13-14 for more details. |
| September 22, 2008 | The New York Times | "New Salvo in Splenda Skirmish" by Lynnley Browning - A new study from Duke University says that Splenda contributes to obesity. However, this study has been dubbed "the Sugar Association-funded rat study" by McNeil Nutritionals, the company that manufactures Splenda, because funding for the study was provided by the Sugar Association. The Sugar Association is a lobbying group for the natural-sugar industry and McNeil Nutritionals fears that this colors the data in the Duke study. Please see paragraphs 2, 4, 6, 12 and 13 for more information. |
| September 12, 2008 | Wall Street Journal | "Medical Journal Rebukes Researcher" by David Armstrong - This article discusses the Ear & Hearing journal's rebuke of William W. Clark, a Washington University researcher, who failed to disclose that he was a paid expert of Federal Signal Corp. While acting as an expert witness for this company, Dr. Clark published an article in Ear & Hearing noting that firefighters are not at risk for job-related hearing loss. See paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9 for more details. |
| September 11, 2008 | Wall Street Journal | "Pressured, Schools Review Ties to Drug Firms" by Alicia Mundy - Senator Grassley continues his investigation into ties between universities and drug companies, specifically when NIH funding is also involved. Sen. Grassley proposes that NIH should remove funding from universities that do not disclose their relationships with drug companies accurately. Please see paragraphs 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 11 for details. |
| August 21, 2008 | CNN Health | "Don't become a victim of medical marketing" by Elizabeth Cohen - This article describes the dangers of undisclosed clinical conflicts of interest. Linda Lewis was given an artificial disk to help relieve back pain. Instead, the disk led to debilitating pain and corrective surgery. Lewis discovered that her doctor had financial ties to the company that created the articial disc, leading her to believe the doctor made his decision based on profit rather than patient care. The article describes the powers of perceived and real conflicts of interest in patient care. See paragraphs 1, 6, 8, 9, and 11 for more information. |
| August 1, 2008 | Pharmalot | "Grassley Intensifies Probe Into NIH & Stanford" by Ed Silverman - This article describes Sen. Grassley's investigations into allegations of unresolved conflicts of interest at Stanford. Writer Ed Silverman focuses on Dr. Schatzberg of Stanford's link to NIH funding and Stanford's attempt to manage Schatzberg's conflicts. |
| July 12, 2008 | The New York Times | "Psychiatric Group Faces Scrutiny Over Drug Industry Ties"- by Benedict Carey and Gardiner Harris - The relationship between psychiatrists and drug companies is being investigated, as Senator Charles Grassley puts the American Psychiatric Association's finances under the microscope. This investigation comes in the wake of recent stories involving Stanford, Harvard and the University of Cincinnati. Researchers at these universities failed to accurately disclose the amount of money they received from drug companies. Please see paragraphs 1-8, 11, 12, and 15. |
| June 26, 2008 | CBS Evening News | "Are Perks Compromising MD Ethics?" CBS Evening News - This piece originally aired on the CBS Evening News. The story questions whether doctors receiving drug company money and gifts compromises patient care. CBS describes the case of the Downign family, whose doctor failed to notify them that he received money from Pfizer. He prescribed Zoloft, a drug manufactured by Pfizer, to their daughter to treat mild anxiety. The drug led to her death. Please watch the video clip for more information. |
| June 26, 2008 | Business Week | "Doctors Under Influence" by Arlene Weintraub - This article examines the promotion of an anti-smoking drug, Chantix, by researchers with financial ties to the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer. These researchers recommend long-term use of Chantix, though the drug has proven to cause adverse reactions in many patients. The article calls into question the ability of researchers to form unbiased opinions about drugs when they have financial ties to drug companies. Please see paragraphs 1-6, 10, 15, and 21. |
| June 26, 2008 | Business Week | "Drugmakers and College Labs - Too Cozy?" by Arlene Weintraub - This article chronicles Senator Charles Grassley’s continuing effort to ensure full disclosure of doctors’ ties to industry. In late June, Sen. Grassley criticized Stanford University for failing to monitor Dr. Alan Schatzenberg, a renowned psychiatrist, and his ties to Corcept Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson. Please see paragraphs 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, and 12. |
| June 25, 2008 | United States Senate Committee on Finance | "Grassley calls on Congress and NIH leaders to identify conflicts of interest in taxpayer sponsored medical research" Press Release - Senator Grassley alleges that the NIH's management of conflicts of interest in research with government funding is inaccurate and slow. He states, "There's mounting evidence that the NIH hasn't done due diligence in keeping track of industry payments to medical researchers." Please see paragraphs 2-4 for details. |
| June 12, 2008 | "Researchers Financial Disclosures in the Spotlight" by Andy Guess - This article touches on recent media reports about three Harvard scientists who failed to report their conflicts of interest related to controversial, federally funded research. It also discusses Senator Charles Grassley's Physician Payments Sunshine Act and the act's potential impact on the relationship between physicians and corporations. Please see paragraphs 2, 3, 4, and 20 for more information. | |
| June 8, 2008 | "Researchers Fail to Reveal Full Drug Pay" by Gardiner Harris and Benedict Carey -The article reports that investigations by Iowa Senator Charles Grassley revealed that prominent clinical researchers at Harvard and elsewhere failed to fully disclose their income from pharmaceutical companies and that as a result Harvard failed to accurately report to NIH. The Harvard faculty members receive federal research funds and their work has led to a dramatic increase in diagnoses of pediatric bipolar disorder and prescriptions of antipsychotic drugs for children. | |
April 15, 2008 | “Citing Ethics, Some Doctors Are Rejecting Industry Pay” by Gina Kolata - This article describes the reasons behind these researchers’ decisions. Please see paragraphs 9, 15, 16, and 27-29. | |
April 11, 2008 | “Drug Companies to Reveal Grant Practices” by the Associated Press - According to this article, many of the major drug and medical device companies intend to publicly disclose grants and payments to outside groups and individuals. Please see paragraphs 3-5 and paragraph 8 for details. | |
April 7, 2008 | “The Importance of Appearances” an editorial - This editorial describes conflicts of interests in both sides of the debate about spiral CT screening for lung cancer. The last paragraph is of particular interest: “All the scientists presumably hold their strong views without being influenced by monetary considerations. But their incautious behavior in accepting special-interest money and the failure of Weill Cornell researchers to make their royalty interests explicit have inevitably cast doubt on the research they take pride in.” | |
March 26, 2008 | “Cigarette Company Paid for Lung Cancer Study” by Gardiner Harris - This article exposes a money trail between a new lung cancer study and the Liggett Group, a major cigarette company. Please see paragraphs 9 and 10 as well as paragraphs 19-23. | |
February 26, 2008 | “Drugmakers Asked to Reveal Educational Grants to Doctors” by Steve Sternberg - This article addresses Senator Chuck Grassley’s mission to create transparency concerning drug companies’ spending on educational grants. Please see paragraphs 2, 4, and 7. | |
January 19, 2008 | “Researchers Go Unchecked, Report Says” by Gardiner Harris - This article addresses growing concerns that the National Institutes of Health do not properly investigate conflicts of interests concerning university faculty members receiving grant money. Please see paragraphs 6, 8, 10, and 11 for more details. | |
January 18, 2008 | “Conflicts in CT Lung Cancer Research Back in Spotlight” by David Armstrong - This article reports that “The Cancer Letter,” a medical journal, found that Dr. Claudia Henschke and Dr. David Yankelevitz have submitted patent applications related to their research. In addition, Henschke’s group has a licensing agreement with GE, a major CT scanner producer, and Yankelevitz holds stock in PneumRx, a company that makes materials used in their research. Please see paragraphs 1, 6, and 7. | |
December 24, 2007 | “UMass Policy Limits Doctor, Drug Maker Ties: Conflict of Interest Rules Among Strictest in Country” by Liz Kowalczyk - UMass Memorial Medical Center has instituted a new conflict of interest policy that severely limits interactions between doctors and companies. Notable Quote from Article: “It prohibits doctors and other clinical staff from eating meals paid for by companies: bans all gifts, from candy to medical journals; stops drug companies from giving money directly to individual physicians and departments for educational programs; and places a complete ban on doctors joining company “speakers bureaus” to give talks about products.” | |
November 12, 2007 | “UPMC Tightening Policy on Drugmaker Relationships” by Joe Fahy - This article explores the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s decision to ban gifts from drug representatives and enforce a strict code for using sample medications. The article lists some of the provisions of this new policy. Please see paragraphs 1, 4, 7 and 14. | |
October 8, 2007 | “Critics Question Objectivity of Government Lung-Scan Study” by David Armstrong - This article concerns two researchers’ conflicts of interests and the National Lung Screening Trial. These researchers, Dr. Denise Aberle and Dr. William Black, have served as paid expert witnesses on cases involving CT screening for lung cancer. Please see paragraphs 3, 10-12, and 20. |
