Money-grubbing and conflicts-of-interest are two characteristics that
pseudo-educators and pseudo-psychiatrists have in common.
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/06/10/3_psychiatrists_accused_of_missteps_face_inquiry/
3 psychiatrists accused of missteps face inquiry
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff | June 10, 2008
Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have
launched an investigation into three psychiatrists whom US Senator
Charles E. Grassley has accused of not fully disclosing payments they
received from drug companies and are reviewing procedures for
researchers to disclose potential conflicts of interest.
Grassley, Republican of Iowa, introduced do***entation into the
Congressional Record last week that indicates the three psychiatrists
- Joseph Biederman, Timothy E. Wilens, and Thomas Spencer - might have
violated federal and university conflict-of-interest rules by failing
to indicate on disclosure forms the full amounts they received from
drug makers.
The three psychiatrists, who also work at Mass. General and receive
federal money for pharmaceutical research, initially said they earned
a few hundred thousand dollars over a seven-year period from drug
companies, but when pressed by Grassley, they later admitted to
receiving between $1 million and $1.6 million, The New York Times
re****ted Sunday.
The three doctors have conducted extensive research in child
psychiatry, which in some cases has ultimately advocated for the use
of certain medicines, not yet approved, in children, the Times
re****ted.
"We take this issue seriously and will do all we can to ensure it is
resolved fairly and equitably for all parties involved," Harvard
Medical School said in a statement.
The dean of the school has referred the cases to the university's
Standing Committee on Conflicts of Interest and Commitment, which is
in charge of reviewing policy compliance, the statement said.
The university did not indicate how long the review might take.
"Based on the review, the standing committee will forward its findings
and recommendations to the office of the dean for any further action
that may be appropriate," the statement said.
More broadly, the medical school will participate in a universitywide
review of conflict-of-interest policies. That process will include
conducting in-depth interviews with randomly selected faculty members
about their disclosure forms.
The goal would be to attempt to gauge any pattern or a lack of clarity
on the forms about conflict of interest or any ambiguity in the
university's policy.
Biederman, Wilens, and Spencer said in written statements last night
that they believed they had complied with the conflict-of-interest
rules at their institutions.
Mass. General, which is coordinating its review with the medical
school, will also conduct a separate review to determine compliance
with the hospital's policies, including one governing federally funded
research, the hospital said.
The hospital said that its policies are in compliance with the
National Institutes of Health, the government's medical research
agency, and that the cases do not appear to trigger any kind of
re****ting requirement.
James Vaznis can be reached at jvaznis@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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