Grassley Probes Nemeroff And University Of Miami
25 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // June 8th, 2010 // 10:00 am
The Charles Nemeroff affair encompasses more people all the time. Now, the University of Miami Medical School has become ensnared in the ongoing probe launched by US Senator Chuck Grassley, who investigated Nemeroff as part of an inquiry into undisclosed financial conflicts of interest among academic researchers who receive federal grants.
You may recall Nemeroff, who was recently hired by the University of Miami, had departed Emory University after the Senate probe disclosed he was accepting sizeable consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline at the same time he was the primary investigator on an NIH-funded grant for research into a Glaxo drug (see this). Before his departure, Emory imposed a two-year ban on grants for on Nemeroff. This week, however, the U of Miami med school head, Pascal Goldschmidt, was quoted as saying the ban was “an immediate reaction to political pressure” (see here).
Angered at the remark, Grassley has sent a letter to Donna Shalala, the University of Miami president and a former US Secretary of Health and Human Services to say “I hope that you would agree - contrary to Dr. Goldschmidt’s views that disciplining researchers for failing to disclose conflicts of interest is merely a political issue - that enforcing federal conflict of interest policy iinvolves ethical and legal issues that ensure taxpayer trust.” Grassley wants Shalala to provide all conflict of interest forms filed by Nemeroff, as well as all e-mails and communications by Goldschmidt and Nemeroff’ about conflicts and NIH grants.
But there’s more. Grassley also wrote a letter to HHS Office of Inspector General Dan Levinson to examine the ties between Nemeroff and NIHM director Tom Insel. Insel apparently helped Nemeroff win his job at the University of Miami (see this) and Levinson is already investigating Nemeroff (look here). Ironically, the NIH has just proposed new rules on conflicts, although Insel is one of Nemeroff’s long-standing allies and he was on the panel that reviewed the new rules (background).
Stephany
If the word criminal could finally be used when referencing Nemeroff! Arrogant works!
ADC
More like greedy and arrogant.
I think that in many ways he is a solid physician, I met with him several times in Atlanta but he sees dollar signs and his professionalism wanes.
Stephany
Personally, I wouldn’t want someone with the lack of ethics that Nemeroff displays being a doctor of mine.
The guy is a sleaze-bag, gets away with massive COI, resides in a GSK built mansion in Miami, slides into a new job like a snake, associated with the NIH after resigning from Emory under fire.
This is where “nice guy” in person just doesn’t cut it.
Dr. Smap
Dr. Bling Bling.
the whole thing stinks- all the way to NIH
Anne PME
I thought that Nemoroff was the psychiatrist…wow, this is better than watching soap operas or C Span!
harpy
give ‘em enough rope…
Stephany
He used to be Dept Chair of Psychiatry at Emory, and was just at the APA meeting:
http://counterpunch.org/rosenberg06042010.html
“But polarizing figures were still present. Sitting next to outgoing APA president Alan F. Schatzberg, MD, even as protestors chanted outside, was Charles Nemeroff, MD, former psychiatry chairman at Emory University who was investigated by Congress for unreported GlaxoSmithKline income and left his post in disgrace. Nemeroff was signing the Textbook of Psychopharmacology which he co-edited with Schatzberg, also investigated by Congress. Schatzberg, psychiatry chairman at Stanford, consults to seven drug companies, owns stock and patents with others and is on Sanofi-Aventis’ Speakers Bureau according to the meeting’s Daily Bulletin.”
kelly
as someone who has just stumbled on this blog and not in tune with this issue—
this is scary that this goes on
Evelyn Pringle
Just how much have we spent so far on these investigations? And what have we gotten for all this time and money? I’ve been covering the investigations of the Finance Committee for 5 years now and it’s getting to be a joke. But being my tax dollars are being wasted, I’m not laughing.
Watching Insel and Nemeroff flaunt their illegal conduct like this demonstrates who is having the last laugh.
Lisa Van Syckel
Gotta love the Senator and his Staff..
Larry Bone
Medicine used to be pretty ethical. Scientific research used to be ethical. Medicine and Science and Healthcare have been taken over by professionals gone over to the Dark Side of expensive dangerous drugs. At least people are told how dangerous street drugs are and are told anything else but how dangerous these psychotropic drugs are.
Larry Bone
Letting these guys off with no punishment sends the wrong message. America is being ruined by the likes of Insel and Nemeroff. These guys give our worst enemies ammunition when they tell other nations that America is the most corrupt nation in the world. Pharmaceutical and medical robber barons are allowed to endanger the lives of little babies, kids, pregnant mothers, soldiers and the elderly whose livea are ruined for big big money. What sort of horribly totally drugged American slave society are we leaving to our grandchildren. Bring these guys to justice so we don’t send out the wrong message to the rest of the world.
Anne PME
I think about all of the money that we are spending to fight wars and kill people and how people like Senator Grassley and the SF com. staff are marginalized jepordized for bringing these issues to our attention.
It makes me wonder whether or not our resources are properly focused on the true threats to our country’s national and economic security.
tampa jill
Insel must go- clear out all of these people
Stanjet
For over a year, Dr. Charles Nemeroff has been under investigation by HHS for failing to disclose his conflicts of interest?!?!?
Over a year? Why in the world would it take over a year?
Sounds about as slow as the investigation into Fernando Mendez-Villamil:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/12/17/v-fullstory/1385651/miami-doctor-cited-in-letter-blasting.html
futrhse
Instel, Nemeroff, and Biederman of Harvard, for the damage they have done to children in this country all ought to be marched out into the public square and hanged by the neck till this country is no longer stained by their legacy.
Rena
Pullng this string could drag out some very large elephants! He should definitely go for it. These bedrooms are undoubtedly very broadly connected, and very expensively as far as the taxpayer is concerned!
Jeff Griffin
As one commenter looked at it, medicine use to be ethical. It stopped being ethical when it allowed psychiatrists to enter the field as pseudo-scientists.
What a farce if it wasn’t actually harming people.
jason Yarly
futrhse, totally agree.
sadly these conflicts run so deep that if all were pursued there would not be many left standing.
Cassandra Auerbach
Another psychiatric sleaze bag who tried to get out of any accounting by moving to another state!
One from Florida, who was having sex with a patient and billing for the time, has now moved to Massachusetts after surrendering his Florida license. All chargers were dropped.
This is an idea that shouldn’t work.
popcares
I guess ethics only apply when you are demonizing someone who has dared challenge the established medical-university-public health agencies .. such as..Dr. Andrew Wakefield in Great Britain. Wakefiled lost his license to practice in U.K…lost his country and now lives in U.S. .. all because he took the time to listen to parents of children and dared to suggest more research be done to make certain the MMR vaccine was not causing gastrointestinal problems in children with autism.
How dare he be so unethical as to ask further research of the MMR vaccine’s safety?
Stanjet
Damn Ed!
You got some good connections to get stuff like this!
Stephany
Tax dollars….that’s why Insel needs to be fired, he oversees MILLIONS of research grant dollars and he is a public servant.
We should no longer tolerate the flaunting of the old cronies club, honestly it’s as if Nemeroff moons us on a daily basis from his Florida 1.9$million dollar mansion funded by GSK non-disclosed income!!
GetOverIt
One thing that all of the previous posters have overlooked are the enormous contributions Nemeroff, Schatzberg, and Biederman have made to public health. Depression is a serious mental illness that is a primary contributor to suicide. As an aside, Nemeroff sits on the board of the National Council on Suicide Prevention. Psychiatry is stigmatized because it is viewed as a weakness to seek treatment. If one wants to examine conflict of interest, look at orthopedic surgeons. The sales reps go into the surgical suite with the docs and tell them how to use the latest hip or knee…..give me a break.
Stephany
What the public needs to remember is how Biederman and Nemeroff (GSK-Paxil-Emory) were investigated by Sentator Charles Grassley, for non-disclosure of millions of dollars received from drug companies.
Biederman and Nemeroff were successful at creating a career for profit, Biederman in a deposition for the Risperdal lawsuit, compared himself to “GOD”, as i “I am God”.
Biederman’s influence as well as Nemeroff’s are dangerous as KOL’s in my opinion, unethical and liars….not reporting income=liar.
Biederman also embraces the 4000% increase in childhood bipolar diagnoses, because of course, being connected with the Stanley Foundation, Fuller Torrey, Protocol breach of the drug trial of Risperdal on 5 yr olds also investigated by Grassley somehow still get’s his rocks off.
Power, money, come on, who are we kidding.
The fact that Nemeroff sits on so many councils and committes should scare the hell out of people.
Just my opinion.