1 Boring Old Man

The APA Nominating Committee reports the following slate of candidates for the 2012 Election. Please note that this slate is considered public, but not official, until the Board approves it at their December 2011 meeting:
President-Elect
• Renee L. Binder, MD
• Mary Helen Davis, MD
• Jeffrey Lieberman, MD

… letters in The Wall Street Journal [below] raise serious questions — including the propriety of a letter signed by 45 signatories — of who 38 are junior level faculty [Assistant Professors] at Emory where Dr. Nemeroff is “the boss of bosses.”  They wrote: ““Dr. Nemeroff’s extremely productive and successful career as a leader in academic psychiatry, we have the utmost respect for his science and ethics.” If 38 of Emory’s faculty have “utmost respect for his science and ethics” — which have earned him considerable criticism, one must wonder about the scientific and ethical culture at Emory!  Additionally, questions surely arise about how easy it might be for subordinates to refuse to show solidarity with “the boss of bosses.” The other seven signatories hold positions of authority and have almost as much of a financial stake in the business of psychiatry as does Dr. Nemeroff. [Alliance for Human Research Protection]

By 2006, Dr. Nemeroff was completely out of control. I didn’t know how far out back then, but I knew enough to feel glad that someone had finally called his hand. The list of people signing from Emory made me sad. I knew most of them, and with some exceptions, they were decent people captured in the Nemeroff spell. But those outside people? They weren’t spellbound. I suspected that they were in the game too [even though back then I had no clue what the game really was, or how corrupt it had become]. Since then, that list has been branded on my mind.

From clinical research to clinical practice: a 4-year review of ziprasidone.
^{by Nemeroff CB, Lieberman JA, Weiden PJ, Harvey PD, Newcomer JW, Schatzberg AF, Kilts CD, and Daniel DG}
CNS Spectrums. 2005 10(11 Suppl 17):1-20.
[full text on-line]

^{Ziprasidone is a second-generation antipsychotic that received Food and Drug Administration approval in February 2001. It has a unique receptor profile that includes high-affinity antagonist activity at dopamine D2 receptors, inverse agonist activity at serotonin (5-HT)2A receptors, agonist activity at 5-HTlA receptors, and a relatively high affinity for the serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. The 5-HTIA affinity, together with the inhibitory effect on mono-amine reuptake, may underlie the hypothesized beneficial effects on comorbid affective and cognitive abnormalities in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. The short-term efficacy of ziprasidone for core positive symptoms of schizophrenia appears to be comparable to other conventional and atypical antipsychotics. The short-term efficacy of ziprasidone in acute mania has been established based on two 3-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.Open-label treatment for up to 52 weeks confirms the sustained efficacy and safety of ziprasidone in bipolar disorder. Maintenance studies in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder indicate that long-term ziprasidone therapy is effective in preventing relapse, while maintaining cognitive and psychosocial benefits. The safety database suggests that the overall cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk associated with ziprasidone is lower than with other atypicals, with notably lower risk of drug-related increases in weight, glucose, or lipids. The data also suggest a modestly increased risk of QTc prolongation that is not dose related or linked to torsades de pointes. Switching to ziprasidone from other atypicals appears to improve both clinical symptoms and metabolic parameters, though more studies are needed to fully characterize these benefits. This monograph summarizes the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of oral ziprasidone in the treatment of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar mania.}

^{This Clinical Information Monograph is based in part on an expert consensus roundtable entitled “From Clinical Research to Clinical Practice: A 4-Year Review of Ziprasidone,” held in New York City on June 27-28, 2004. The meeting was moderated by Prakash S. Masand, MD, and contributors included David G. Daniel, MD, Philip D. Harvey, PhD, Clinton D. Kilts, MD, Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD, Charles B. Nemeroff, MD, PhD, John W. Newcomer, MD, Alan F. Schatzberg, MD, and Peter J. Weiden, MD.}

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^{This clinical information monograph is supported by Pfizer, Inc. Support of this monograph does not imply the commercial supporters’ agreement with the views expressed herein. Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information is presented accurately in this publication, the ultimate responsibility rests with the prescribing physician. Neither the publisher, the sponsor, nor the participants can be held responsible for errors or for any consequences arising from the use of information contained herein. Readers are strongly urged to consult any relevant primary literature. No claims or endorsements are made for any drug or compound at present under clinical investigation.}