Senator Charles Grassley’s conflict of interest inquiry in the United States has scored its biggest victory to date, with the media full of revelations about psychiatrist Charles Nemeroff of Emory University.
“After questioning about 20 doctors and research institutions, it looks like problems with transparency are everywhere,” says Grassley (NY Times). “The current system for tracking financial relationships isn’t working.”
Grassley alleges that Nemeroff he received half a million dollars from GlaxoSmithKline while leading a federal research study on GSK drugs (WSJ). Overall Nemeroff failed to declare more than a million dollars of income from pharmaceutical companies, he alleges (Inside Higher Ed).
Emory has since issued a statement saying:
Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has raised a number of questions about whether Emory’s chairman of psychiatry and behavioural sciences, Dr. Charles Nemeroff, has properly disclosed his financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies. … In view of the ongoing internal and external investigations into these allegations, Dr. Nemeroff will voluntarily step down as chairman of the department, effective immediately, pending resolution of these issues.
The LA Times notes that Grassley is pushing for legislation that would require disclosure of all payments over $500 from pharma companies and to doctors. The Pharmalot blog says, “The Senate has, so far, singled out several prominent academic researchers. But this episode is significant because it may be the clearest example yet where the probe has unearthed not only the alleged undisclosed conflicts involving a particular individual, but the failure of a university to adequately take action despite having recognized a potential problem over an extended period of time.”
The university’s statement includes this comment from Nemeroff:
To the best of my knowledge, I have followed the appropriate University regulations concerning financial disclosures. I have dedicated my career to translating research findings into improvements in clinical practice in patients with severe mental illness. I will cooperate fully and work with Emory to respond to the alleged conflicts of interest issues raised by Senator Grassley and his staff.