Re: OT - Wash Post - NIH Scientist Pleads Guilty in Accepting $285,000 from Pfizer

[Guest guest]

UPI's report on NIH researcher's conviction. Note Congressman

Dingell's comments in the final paragraph. Dingell is expected to

replace Joe Barton as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce

Committee in January.

_____

http://tinyurl.com/yjgvsp

Researcher pleads guilty to taking fees

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist working on Alzheimer's

has pleaded guilty to accepting consulting fees and travel expenses

from a drug manufacturer without proper approval.

As part the agreement reached Friday, Pearson Sunderland III, chief

of geriatric psychiatry of the National Institute of Mental Health,

will be sentenced to two years of supervised probation and must

forfeit $300,000, the Baltimore Sun said. Charged with conflict of

interest, Sunderland admitted to accepting about $285,000 from

Pfizer Inc. without authorization.

The institute is a part of the National Institutes of Health, which

has said the arrangements between private companies and agency

scientists was the worst scandal in the agency's history.

NIH officials said more than 40 scientists were thought to have

engaged in outside, fee-based relationships with private companies.

Most were disciplined internally or retired, agency officials said.

Rep. D. Dingell, D-Mich., expected to lead the House Energy and

Commerce Committee in January, said the case raises questions about

NIH management.

" Sunderland remained on the payroll for years after NIH was given

information from this committee about this conflict, " Dingell said

in a statement. " Will a criminal conviction for conflict of interest

be enough to get someone fired from NIH? "