Psychiatrist Accused of $2.8 Million Payola From Pharmaceutical Company

The cozy relationship between academic research and the pharmaceutical industry was revealed as a prominent Emory University psychiatrist failed to report $2.8 million he received in consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline. The allegations against Charles B. Nemeroff, MD, were announced in the probe headed by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who is promoting a bill called the “Physician Payment Sunshine Act” that would require pharmaceutical companies and medical devise manufacturers to report payments over $500 that they make to physicians.He allegedly repeatedly underreported the amount of consulting money he was paid, year after year.

Nemeroff is the 6th physician accused since the investigation began earlier this year. These psychiatrists are from the top research institutions in the country. They are leaders in the profession and one was the president-elect for the American Psychiatric Association. The physicians consult with 20 or more drug and devise companies at one time with lucrative arrangements for speaking, conducting symposiums, and writing about the safety and efficacy of drugs.

It is critical that academic research and influential professors that do the research be independent of drug company influence and money. Several studies have shown that people who receive money from drug companies are more likely to report positive results from the drug.

Dr. Nemeroff stepped down from his role as Emory Department Chair of Psychiatry October 4 pending resolution of the issue, and as of October 14 Nemeroff stepped down from university research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, as the federal agency cracks down on the school’s handling of potential conflicts of interest. The NIH has frozen funds for a $9.3 million project on depression led by Nemeroff.

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