The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defends his decision three months ago to award a research grant from Charles Nemeroff, the former psychiatrist at Emory University who got into trouble if not his university around at least $ 1.2 million in consulting revenues of pharmaceutical companies.
After Emory was forbidden to receive grants for 2 years in December 08, Nemeroff went to the University of Miami. In May, he won 5-year grant, $ 401,675 per year to study post-traumatic stress disorder. As reported today by the blog Pharmalot, NIH wrote Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) on August 3, in response to a question on the issue. One question is why Grassley NIH had awarded the grant even if Nemeroff was investigated by the Ministry of Health and the Office of Human Services Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Justice.
In a letter to Grassley on August 3, Deputy NIH Director Lawrence Tabak explains that the OIG investigation and justice are confidential and peer reviewers were not informed about the review. "In the absence of a finding by the OIG or other reasons feasible right now to exclude Dr. Nemeroff, NIH has followed standard procedures," the letter said.
Tabak also explained that the proposal of Nemeroff crossed usual comments for the scientific value and public health and that the NIH has asked the University of Miami on potential conflicts of interest involving research. The letter notes that the study does not involve testing drugs. He also says Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, which has historic ties to Nemeroff, challenged the review. "I want to assure you that all procedures were followed carefully in the allocation process of this specific grant to the University of Miami," says Tabak.
In the documents it gave Grassley, NIH included a "talking points" memo indicating that NIH was open to criticism. the note describes that officials must answer questions about the grant and includes information similar to that of the letter to Grassley. He says also that the total grant is $ 60,000 per year for 5 years for a study of two sites-the University of Miami and Emory
11:40, August 14 due to concerns about possible misuse, the image of a handwritten signature on the letter of Lawrence Tabak was obscured.
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