Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation

[Guest guest]

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/

Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation

Wednesday, December 1st,

2010 | By

Titus

A watchdog group this week urged

the National Institutes of Health to put an end to

“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by some

federally funded researchers were actually written by drug and

marketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanford

psychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.

The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, bases

its allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKline

related to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reported

on Tuesday.

The documents include a draft

of the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:

A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which was

published in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association

(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medical

publishing company Scientific

Therapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an

“educational grant” from drug company Kline Beecham

Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to the

document. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairman

of psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, the

draft said.

Also among the documents was a 1997 letter

from STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’s

timeline for completing the book. The timeline included several

dates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the

“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”

“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane

[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.

Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued a

statement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations as

untrue.

“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beecham

awarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do not

allow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.

“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter were

never approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” the

statement added.

“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especially

the use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in books

on pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, in

the statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”

He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contract

until two years after the letter from Laden, and that the book

was peer-reviewed by eight physicians.

Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests for

comment.

Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

at Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, faced

congressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drug

company related to the professor’s federally funded research.

Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took

“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.

Schatzberg ultimately resigned

as principal investigator for the grant.

Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revised

the ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the Stanford

Industry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year it

prohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers who

often work in private practices — from giving paid speeches

written by drug and medical-device companies.

The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff from

engaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may not

publish articles under their own names that are written in whole

or material part by industry employees,” it says.

As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,

Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in

1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg and

the APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”

On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times about

Kline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And members

of the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer

Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they called

ghostwriting among federally funded researchers.

But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.

Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content and

the 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,

if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in an

e-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the company

any right of sign-off on content and in fact they had no

sign-off in content.”

[Guest guest]

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/

Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation

Wednesday, December 1st,

2010 | By

Titus

A watchdog group this week urged

the National Institutes of Health to put an end to

“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by some

federally funded researchers were actually written by drug and

marketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanford

psychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.

The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, bases

its allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKline

related to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reported

on Tuesday.

The documents include a draft

of the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:

A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which was

published in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association

(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medical

publishing company Scientific

Therapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an

“educational grant” from drug company Kline Beecham

Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to the

document. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairman

of psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, the

draft said.

Also among the documents was a 1997 letter

from STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’s

timeline for completing the book. The timeline included several

dates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the

“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”

“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane

[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.

Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued a

statement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations as

untrue.

“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beecham

awarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do not

allow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.

“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter were

never approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” the

statement added.

“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especially

the use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in books

on pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, in

the statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”

He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contract

until two years after the letter from Laden, and that the book

was peer-reviewed by eight physicians.

Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests for

comment.

Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

at Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, faced

congressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drug

company related to the professor’s federally funded research.

Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took

“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.

Schatzberg ultimately resigned

as principal investigator for the grant.

Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revised

the ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the Stanford

Industry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year it

prohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers who

often work in private practices — from giving paid speeches

written by drug and medical-device companies.

The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff from

engaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may not

publish articles under their own names that are written in whole

or material part by industry employees,” it says.

As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,

Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in

1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg and

the APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”

On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times about

Kline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And members

of the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer

Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they called

ghostwriting among federally funded researchers.

But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.

Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content and

the 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,

if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in an

e-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the company

any right of sign-off on content and in fact they had no

sign-off in content.”

[Guest guest]

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/

Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation

Wednesday, December 1st,

2010 | By

Titus

A watchdog group this week urged

the National Institutes of Health to put an end to

“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by some

federally funded researchers were actually written by drug and

marketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanford

psychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.

The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, bases

its allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKline

related to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reported

on Tuesday.

The documents include a draft

of the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:

A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which was

published in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association

(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medical

publishing company Scientific

Therapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an

“educational grant” from drug company Kline Beecham

Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to the

document. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairman

of psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, the

draft said.

Also among the documents was a 1997 letter

from STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’s

timeline for completing the book. The timeline included several

dates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the

“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”

“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane

[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.

Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued a

statement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations as

untrue.

“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beecham

awarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do not

allow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.

“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter were

never approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” the

statement added.

“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especially

the use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in books

on pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, in

the statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”

He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contract

until two years after the letter from Laden, and that the book

was peer-reviewed by eight physicians.

Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests for

comment.

Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

at Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, faced

congressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drug

company related to the professor’s federally funded research.

Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took

“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.

Schatzberg ultimately resigned

as principal investigator for the grant.

Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revised

the ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the Stanford

Industry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year it

prohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers who

often work in private practices — from giving paid speeches

written by drug and medical-device companies.

The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff from

engaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may not

publish articles under their own names that are written in whole

or material part by industry employees,” it says.

As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,

Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in

1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg and

the APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”

On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times about

Kline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And members

of the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer

Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they called

ghostwriting among federally funded researchers.

But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.

Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content and

the 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,

if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in an

e-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the company

any right of sign-off on content and in fact they had no

sign-off in content.”

[Guest guest]

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/

Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation

Wednesday, December 1st,

2010 | By

Titus

A watchdog group this week urged

the National Institutes of Health to put an end to

“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by some

federally funded researchers were actually written by drug and

marketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanford

psychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.

The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, bases

its allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKline

related to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reported

on Tuesday.

The documents include a draft

of the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:

A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which was

published in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association

(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medical

publishing company Scientific

Therapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an

“educational grant” from drug company Kline Beecham

Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to the

document. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairman

of psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, the

draft said.

Also among the documents was a 1997 letter

from STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’s

timeline for completing the book. The timeline included several

dates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the

“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”

“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane

[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.

Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued a

statement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations as

untrue.

“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beecham

awarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do not

allow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.

“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter were

never approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” the

statement added.

“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especially

the use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in books

on pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, in

the statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”

He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contract

until two years after the letter from Laden, and that the book

was peer-reviewed by eight physicians.

Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests for

comment.

Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

at Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, faced

congressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drug

company related to the professor’s federally funded research.

Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took

“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.

Schatzberg ultimately resigned

as principal investigator for the grant.

Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revised

the ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the Stanford

Industry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year it

prohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers who

often work in private practices — from giving paid speeches

written by drug and medical-device companies.

The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff from

engaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may not

publish articles under their own names that are written in whole

or material part by industry employees,” it says.

As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,

Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in

1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg and

the APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”

On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times about

Kline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And members

of the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer

Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they called

ghostwriting among federally funded researchers.

But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.

Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content and

the 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,

if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in an

e-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the company

any right of sign-off on content and in fact they had no

sign-off in content.”

[Guest guest]

Dammit... They are truly spin-meisters.TerrySent via BlackBerry by AT&TFrom: Jim <mofunnow@...>Sender: SSRI medications Date: Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:01:22 -0600<undisclosed-recipients>Reply SSRI medications Subject: Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegationWednesday, December 1st,2010 | By TitusA watchdog group this week urgedthe National Institutes of Health to put an end to“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by somefederally funded researchers were actually written by drug andmarketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanfordpsychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, basesits allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKlinerelated to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reportedon Tuesday.The documents include a draftof the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which waspublished in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medicalpublishing company ScientificTherapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an“educational grant” from drug company Kline BeechamPharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to thedocument. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairmanof psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, thedraft said.Also among the documents was a 1997 letterfrom STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’stimeline for completing the book. The timeline included severaldates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued astatement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations asuntrue.“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beechamawarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do notallow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter werenever approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” thestatement added.“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especiallythe use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in bookson pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, inthe statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contractuntil two years after the letter from Laden, and that the bookwas peer-reviewed by eight physicians.Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests forcomment.Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciencesat Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, facedcongressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drugcompany related to the professor’s federally funded research.Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.Schatzberg ultimately resignedas principal investigator for the grant.Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revisedthe ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the StanfordIndustry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year itprohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers whooften work in private practices — from giving paid speecheswritten by drug and medical-device companies.The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff fromengaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may notpublish articles under their own names that are written in wholeor material part by industry employees,” it says.As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg andthe APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times aboutKline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And membersof the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they calledghostwriting among federally funded researchers.But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content andthe 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in ane-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the companyany right of sign-off on content and in fact they had nosign-off in content.”

[Guest guest]

Dammit... They are truly spin-meisters.TerrySent via BlackBerry by AT&TFrom: Jim <mofunnow@...>Sender: SSRI medications Date: Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:01:22 -0600<undisclosed-recipients>Reply SSRI medications Subject: Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegationWednesday, December 1st,2010 | By TitusA watchdog group this week urgedthe National Institutes of Health to put an end to“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by somefederally funded researchers were actually written by drug andmarketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanfordpsychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, basesits allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKlinerelated to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reportedon Tuesday.The documents include a draftof the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which waspublished in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medicalpublishing company ScientificTherapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an“educational grant” from drug company Kline BeechamPharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to thedocument. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairmanof psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, thedraft said.Also among the documents was a 1997 letterfrom STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’stimeline for completing the book. The timeline included severaldates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued astatement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations asuntrue.“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beechamawarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do notallow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter werenever approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” thestatement added.“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especiallythe use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in bookson pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, inthe statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contractuntil two years after the letter from Laden, and that the bookwas peer-reviewed by eight physicians.Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests forcomment.Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciencesat Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, facedcongressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drugcompany related to the professor’s federally funded research.Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.Schatzberg ultimately resignedas principal investigator for the grant.Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revisedthe ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the StanfordIndustry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year itprohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers whooften work in private practices — from giving paid speecheswritten by drug and medical-device companies.The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff fromengaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may notpublish articles under their own names that are written in wholeor material part by industry employees,” it says.As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg andthe APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times aboutKline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And membersof the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they calledghostwriting among federally funded researchers.But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content andthe 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in ane-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the companyany right of sign-off on content and in fact they had nosign-off in content.”

[Guest guest]

Dammit... They are truly spin-meisters.TerrySent via BlackBerry by AT&TFrom: Jim <mofunnow@...>Sender: SSRI medications Date: Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:01:22 -0600<undisclosed-recipients>Reply SSRI medications Subject: Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegationWednesday, December 1st,2010 | By TitusA watchdog group this week urgedthe National Institutes of Health to put an end to“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by somefederally funded researchers were actually written by drug andmarketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanfordpsychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, basesits allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKlinerelated to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reportedon Tuesday.The documents include a draftof the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which waspublished in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medicalpublishing company ScientificTherapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an“educational grant” from drug company Kline BeechamPharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to thedocument. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairmanof psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, thedraft said.Also among the documents was a 1997 letterfrom STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’stimeline for completing the book. The timeline included severaldates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued astatement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations asuntrue.“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beechamawarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do notallow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter werenever approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” thestatement added.“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especiallythe use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in bookson pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, inthe statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contractuntil two years after the letter from Laden, and that the bookwas peer-reviewed by eight physicians.Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests forcomment.Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciencesat Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, facedcongressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drugcompany related to the professor’s federally funded research.Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.Schatzberg ultimately resignedas principal investigator for the grant.Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revisedthe ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the StanfordIndustry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year itprohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers whooften work in private practices — from giving paid speecheswritten by drug and medical-device companies.The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff fromengaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may notpublish articles under their own names that are written in wholeor material part by industry employees,” it says.As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg andthe APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times aboutKline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And membersof the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they calledghostwriting among federally funded researchers.But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content andthe 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in ane-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the companyany right of sign-off on content and in fact they had nosign-off in content.”

[Guest guest]

Dammit... They are truly spin-meisters.TerrySent via BlackBerry by AT&TFrom: Jim <mofunnow@...>Sender: SSRI medications Date: Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:01:22 -0600<undisclosed-recipients>Reply SSRI medications Subject: Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegation http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/12/01/professor-apa-dispute-ghostwriting-allegation/Professor, APA dispute ghostwriting allegationWednesday, December 1st,2010 | By TitusA watchdog group this week urgedthe National Institutes of Health to put an end to“ghostwriting,” alleging that scientific publications by somefederally funded researchers were actually written by drug andmarketing companies — including one book co-written by Stanfordpsychiatry professor Alan Schatzberg.The Washington group, Project on Government Oversight, basesits allegations on documents made public in a lawsuit against GlaxoKlinerelated to the drug Paxil, as The New York Times first reportedon Tuesday.The documents include a draftof the book “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders:A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which waspublished in 1999 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.(APPI), a branch of the American Psychiatric Association(APA). The draft was “developed” by two writers for the medicalpublishing company ScientificTherapeutics Information (STI) of New Jersey under an“educational grant” from drug company Kline BeechamPharmaceuticals (now GlaxoKline), according to thedocument. Schatzberg and Nemeroff, at the time chairmanof psychiatry at Emory University, are the book’s authors, thedraft said.Also among the documents was a 1997 letterfrom STI editor Sally Laden to Nemeroff describing the company’stimeline for completing the book. The timeline included severaldates when drafts of the book would go to the co-authors and the“sponsor” for comments, “sign-off” and “final approval.”“You and Alan [schatzberg] are in good hands with Diane[Coniglio, an STI writer],” Laden wrote to Nemeroff.Schatzberg is the former president of the APA, which issued astatement on Tuesday condemning the ghostwriting allegations asuntrue.“Unrestricted” grants, such as the one Kline Beechamawarded for the book, “support specific projects” but do notallow companies to control books’ content, the APA said.“From our perspective, timeline and details in the letter werenever approved by APPI [the publisher] or the authors,” thestatement added.“This type of editorial assistance was quite common, especiallythe use of editorial experts to compile and check facts in bookson pharmacology,” said Ron McMillen, chief executive of APPI, inthe statement. “To say the book was ghostwritten is not true.”He added the authors and the publisher did not sign a contractuntil two years after the letter from Laden, and that the bookwas peer-reviewed by eight physicians.Schatzberg, Nemeroff and STI did not return requests forcomment.Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciencesat Stanford for 19 years before stepping down this summer, facedcongressional scrutiny in 2008 when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)raised questions about Schatzberg’s stock holdings in a drugcompany related to the professor’s federally funded research.Stanford attorneys at the time said the University took“appropriate steps” to prevent a conflict of interest.Schatzberg ultimately resignedas principal investigator for the grant.Since then, the Stanford School of Medicine has revisedthe ethics policy it implemented in 2006, called the StanfordIndustry Interactions Policy. Earlier this year itprohibited adjunct clinical faculty — volunteer teachers whooften work in private practices — from giving paid speecheswritten by drug and medical-device companies.The policy also forbids faculty, students and staff fromengaging in ghostwriting: “in other words, individuals may notpublish articles under their own names that are written in wholeor material part by industry employees,” it says.As medical school spokesman Costello pointed out,Stanford’s ghostwriting policy would not have been in effect in1999, when the book was published. He added that Schatzberg andthe APA “strongly deny that the manuscript was ghostwritten.”On Tuesday, doctors spoke critically to The Times aboutKline Beecham’s alleged influence on the book. And membersof the watchdog group, including former Grassley staffer Thacker, pointed to other examples of what they calledghostwriting among federally funded researchers.But Schatzberg told The Times that’s not what happened here.Kline Beecham was not involved in the book’s content andthe 1997 letter was “a theoretical proposal that bears little,if any relationship to what actually happened,” he said in ane-mail, adding: “An unrestricted grant does not give the companyany right of sign-off on content and in fact they had nosign-off in content.”