NIH to Address Ethics Concerns
January 9, 2004 - National Institutes of Health Director
Elias Zerhouni, M.D., has prepared a plan to address charges
of conflict of interest directed at the agency. Details of
the plan were described in a Dec. 23 letter to House Energy
and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-La.) requesting
an opportunity to brief the chairman personally on Dr. Zerhouni's
plans "to respond to concerns about implementation of
ethics rules at NIH."
In the letter, Dr. Zerhouni noted he:
- Has initiated the collection and review of all instances
of NIH employees receiving compensation from non-governmental
sources of outside activities such as consulting arrangements
since Jan. 1, 1999;
- Is implementing a new NIH Ethics Advisory Committee
to advise ethics officials and employees on conflicts
of interest and to ensure that activities involving the
acceptance of compensation from outside sources receive
uniform oversight at the NIH;
- Is in the process of appointing a special Blue Ribbon
Panel to fully review ethical policies and practices at
NIH and propose recommendations for improving such policies
and practices within 90 days; and
- Has ordered a final review of financial disclosure
requirements for NIH personnel, and after this review,
will increase appropriate public financial disclosure.
The NIH plan is in response to a Dec. 8 request from Chairman
Tauzin and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman
James Greenwood (R-Pa.) for NIH to turn over various records
relating to all consulting arrangements between NIH employees
and drug companies and other outside activities [see Washington
Highlights, Dec.
12, 2003]. The congressional request was prompted in part
by a Dec. 7 Los Angeles Times story that reported that
several high-level NIH scientists have received unreported
fees and stock options from drug companies for consulting
outside their government work.
AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., issued a statement
on Dec. 22 supporting Dr. Zerhouni's "call for an immediate,
impartial review of these allegations through the creation
of an internal Conflicts of Interest committee and a blue
ribbon panel of outside leaders."
Information:
Tony Mazzaschi, Senior Associate Vice President
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
tmazzaschi@aamc.org
(202) 828-0059
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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