NIH Regulation of Conflict of Interest In Research

1. NIH Regulation ofConflict of Interest In Research Some Thoughts for Research Administrators

2. NIH-Sponsored Investigators(and their Universities)In the News…

3. Researchers Fail to Reveal Full Drug PayNew York TimesJune 8, 2008 A world-renowned Harvard child psychiatrist whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of powerful antipsychotic medicines in children earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drug makers from 2000 to 2007 but for years did not report much of this income to university officials, according to information given Congressional investigators. Senator Charles E. Grassley pushed three experts in child psychiatry at Harvard to expose their income from consulting fees. Some of their research is financed by government grants. Like Dr. Biederman, Dr. Wilens belatedly reported earning at least $1.6 million from 2000 to 2007, and another Harvard colleague, Dr. Thomas Spencer, reported earning at least $1 million after being pressed by Mr. Grassley’s investigators. But even these amended disclosures may understate the researchers’ outside income because some entries contradict payment information from drug makers, Mr. Grassley found.

4. Stanford Researcher, Accused of Conflicts, Steps Down as NIH Principal InvestigatorChronicle of Higher EducationAugust 1, 2008 Alan F. Schatzberg, a Stanford University researcher under fire for a possible financial conflict of interest, is stepping down temporarily as principal investigator on his grant from a division of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Schatzberg, a psychiatrist, [has a] financial connection to Corcept Therapeutics, a drug-development company that the psychiatrist had helped create and in which he had several millions of dollars’ worth of stock. Dr. Schatzberg was leading an NIH-financed investigation of the biology of psychotic depression. The project included studies of the effectiveness of mifepristone — a controversial drug that is used to induce abortions — as an antidepressant. Senator Grassley sent two letters of inquiry to Stanford this week. In a letter on Thursday, he pointed out that the researcher’s stock holding “could grow dramatically if the results of Dr. Schatzberg’s government-sponsored research find that mifepristone could be used to treat psychotic major depression.”

5. Emory U. Psychiatrist Failed to Report Income From Drug MakersChronicle of Higher EducationOctober 4, 2008 A prominent psychiatrist at Emory University is the latest researcher to come under fire in Congress for violating federal and university rules against financial conflicts of interest. The New York Times reports that Charles B. Nemeroff, chairman of the psychiatry department at Emory and former editor in chief of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, earned more than $2.8-million for consulting with drug companies from 2000 to 2007 and hid much of that income from his university. The figures were disclosed in documents provided to Congressional investigators working for Sen. Charles E. Grassley, a Republican of Iowa, as part of his continuing inquiry into scientists’ financial conflicts of interest.

6. AUTHORITY 42CFR50F(45CFR94) Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for Which PHS Funding Is Sought

7. Purpose To ensure there is no reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, or reporting of research funded under PHS grants or cooperative agreements will be biased by any conflicting financial interest of an Investigator

8. Applicability To each Institution that applies for PHS grants or cooperative agreements for research and, through the implementation of this subpart by each Institution, to each Investigator participating in such research Investigator = principal investigator and any other person who is responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of research funded by PHS, or proposed for such funding… includes the Investigator's spouse and dependent children

9. Purpose To ensure there is no reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, or reporting of research funded under PHS grants or cooperative agreements will be biased by any conflicting financial interest of an Investigator

10. Significant Financial Interest • Anything valued over $10,000, including • Salary, payments or fees for services • Royalties from intellectual property OR Equity interests representing more than 5% ownership interest • Does not include • Salary, royalties or other remuneration from institution

11. Institutional Responsibilities • Promulgate policy • Designate an official • NIH notification • Existence of significant financial CoI • Assurance that the CoI has been eliminated, managed or reduced

12. So… What’s a Research Administrator To Do? • Check with all of your NIH-funded investigators: do they have financial interests related to their NIH-sponsored research? • Contact the CoI Officer with questions: Joe Giffels (jgiff001@umaryland.edu)

13. Information Resources • http://www.umaryland.edu/research_integrity/COI/conflict_interest.html • http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/coi/tutorial/fcoi.htm

14. www.umaryland.edu/research_integrity/COI/conflict_interest.htmlwww.umaryland.edu/research_integrity/COI/conflict_interest.html

15. Example • Consultant for Pfizer, earning $50,000 per year to advise on anti-hypertension candidate compounds in clinical trials sponsored by Pfizer’s competitors and PI of NHLBI grant for research on how a particular virus damages heart muscle. No, because there is clearly no relationship between what the individual is doing for Pfizer and the NIH research

16. Example • Consultant for Pfizer, earning $50,000 per year to advise on anti-hypertension candidate compounds in clinical trials sponsored by Pfizer’s competitors and PI of a Pfizer clinical trial of one of it’s own anti-hypertension drugs. No, because no NIH research is involved

17. Example • Consultant for Pfizer, earning $10,000 per year to make presentations to cardiologists on the science behind a Pfizer anti-hypertension drug and PI of an NHLBI-sponsored clinical trial of the same Pfizer drug. No, because the individual is not receiving over $10,000 from Pfizer

18. Example • Inventor of a compound UMB has licensed to Pfizer, receiving $150K per year in royalties and Investigator on NIH grant to develop a similar compound having less unpleasant side effects. No, because although the royalty payments and NIH research are probably related, the royalty payments are coming to the Investigator through UMB and not directly from Pfizer

19. Example • An inventor of technologies licensed to a Company founded and owned 30% by the inventor and the inventor is involved in an NIH-sponsored clinical trial of compounds related to the technologies Yes – see next slide for how the CoI is managed

20. Management of the CoI • Someone else is the PI of the NIH clinical trial • All research and publications are reviewed quarterly by the Dean’s Office and the CoI Officer • The conflicted researcher discloses the financial interests when publishing or discussing the research • Trainees can talk to the CoI Officer • Annual reviews of the CoI