New York TimesOne of the nation’s most influential psychiatrists earned more than $2.8 million in consulting arrangements with drug makers between 2000 and 2007, failed to report at least $1.2 million of this income to his university, and violated federal research rules, according to documents provided to Congressional investigators. The psychiatrist, Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff of Emory University, is the most prominent example to date in a series of disclosures that is shaking the world of academic medicine and seems likely to force broad changes in the relationships between doctors and drug makers.
In one telling example, Dr. Nemeroff signed a letter dated July 15, 2004, promising Emory administrators that he would earn less than $10,000 a year from GlaxoSmithKline to comply with federal rules. But on that day, he was at the Four Seasons Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyo., earning $3,000 of what would become $170,000 in income that year from the British drug giant — 17 times the figure he had agreed on…
The National Institutes of Health have strict rules mandating that conflicts of interest among grantees be managed or eliminated, but the health institutes rely on universities for oversight. If a university fails, the agency has the power to suspend the school’s entire portfolio of grants, which for Emory amounted to $190 million in 2005. But this step is so draconian that the health institutes almost never take it.
Dr. Nemeroff was the principal investigator for a five-year, $3.9 million grant financed by the National Institute of Mental Health for which GlaxoSmithKline provided drugs. Income from GlaxoSmithKline of $10,000 or more in any year of the grant — a threshold Dr. Nemeroff crossed in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, records show — would have required Emory to inform the health institutes and manage the conflict or remove Dr. Nemeroff as the investigator. Repeatedly assured by Dr. Nemeroff that he had not crossed this income threshold, Emory did nothing.
I have no direct knowledge of his financial wheelings and dealings, but I do know that when he talks, he’s all graphs, numbers, and sales pitch. Whatever drug he’s studying seems to always be the right one to use, and I’ve never heard him say anything that made me think that he cares much about how people are doing. He’s a chemist, not a physician. And from the sound of things, he’s even more of an entrepreneur without a conscience than I knew.
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From: cadkison@emory.edu
Subject: Announcement re Sen. Grassley’s allegations about Dr. Nemeroff Date: October 3, 2008 9:05:01 PM EDT To: Medicine-Faculty@EMORY.EDU Reply-To: cadkison@emory.edu Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has raised a number of questions about whether Emory’s chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Dr. Charles Nemeroff, has properly disclosed his financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies. We at Emory take this matter very seriously and are working diligently to determine whether our policies have been observed consistently with regard to the matters cited by Senator Grassley. 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. Dr. Nemeroff is recognized internationally as a leader in psychiatric research, education and practice. He has made fundamental contributions to the field over many years. The length and complexity of the history outlined by Senator Grassley will require careful review of underlying payment records from the pharmaceutical companies, which we have requested from Senator Grassley’s office. We have also requested that Dr. Nemeroff provide us with relevant information and documentation so that we will have all the facts before us. Dr. Nemeroff has assured us that: “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.” Emory is committed to maintaining strong conflict of interest policies and procedures and will conduct a fair, thorough, and evenhanded investigation of these claims. * Medicine-Faculty Web Page:
http://WWW.LISTSERV.Emory.Edu/Archives/Medicine-Faculty.HTML |
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[…] two Psychiatrists investigated by the Senate from my former Department at Emory, Dr. Zach Stowe and Dr. Charles Nemeroff for being in the pocket of drug companies. Guess which company? GlaxoSmithKline. The accusations, […]