Senator calls on the National Institutes of Health to set tone for disclosure, accountability

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley is asking the National Institutes of Health to explain why it has awarded a $400,000 medical research grant to a physician who it banned from NIH funding in recent years for failing to disclose a $1.2 million financial relationship with a major pharmaceutical company while leading a $9 million federal study involving that drug company's blockbuster depression drug Paxil.

"It's troubling that NIH continues to provide limited federal dollars to individuals who have previously had grant funding suspended for failure to disclose conflicts of interest and even more troubling that the Administration chose not to require full, open and, public disclosure of financial interests on a public website," Grassley wrote to NIH Director Francis Collins.

Last year, the Obama administration scrapped a proposed conflict of interest rule that would have required universities to disclose financial relationships between medical researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to be posted on publicly available websites.  "The Office of Management and Budget in the White House, which had final say over the matter, should have supported the policy that every institution post financial conflicts of interest on a public website," Grassley said.

Grassley has pursued an extensive campaign for disclosure of payments made by drug and medical device makers to physicians since 2007, when he began to expose dramatic disparities between what was reported and what was, in fact, received.  Grassley's oversight of industry payments also has extended to medical schools, medical journals, continuing medical education, and non-profit patient advocacy organizations.

One of those cases involved the doctor receiving the grant in question today, Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff.  In 2008, documents revealed that Nemeroff, who was then chair of Emory University's psychiatry department, failed to disclose that he received $1.2 million in consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Paxil, while leading federal research on the treatment of depression.  Nemeroff left Emory University and was then hired by Miami University.  The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health within NIH weighed in on Nemeroff taking this new position.  While the NIH said that Nemeroff could not receive federal medical research dollars for two years, the ban has expired and, regardless, it did not apply to him in a position at a new university.

In addition, Nemeroff remains under investigation by the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is working with the Department of Justice on the case.  In his letter today, Grassley asked the NIH if this was considered.  "There has been no final resolution by DOJ or public finding by HHS OIG related to the investigation of Dr. Nemeroff. Yet, NIH awarded him another grant," he said.

Grassley said the decision by NIH "risks sending the wrong message to physicians seeking or performing federally funded research."

Click here to read Grassley's letter to the NIH, which he also sent to the President of the University of Miami, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.

Quad City area youth entering 3rd-5th grade this fall are invited to attend the fourth annual Enviro-Kids on Saturday, June 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Middle Park in Bettendorf. The goal of Enviro-Kids is to teach youth different ways to have fun outdoors while incorporating environmental education. The event is free of charge, but pre-registration is required.

Children will participate in the following activities: fishing, learning about water quality, hiking, a litter cleanup, canoeing, disc golfing and packing a waste-free lunch. Parents or guardians are encouraged to stay at the event and participate in activities with their child. Younger children can attend Enviro-Kids if accompanied by an adult.

Registration is limited and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information call 563-468-4218 or visit www.ilivehereqc.org to download the flier and registration form.

Quad City Enviro-Kids is sponsored by: City of Bettendorf, Davenport Parks and Recreation, Davenport Public Works, iLivehere®, Nahant Marsh, Partners of Scott County Watersheds, Scott County Conservation Board and Scott County Soil & Water Conservation District.

There's a lot of moaning and hand-wringing whenever gasoline prices approach $4 a gallon. But all it would take for them to hit $10 a gallon overnight would be hurricanes wiping out a couple of refineries or saboteurs disabling a couple of pipelines, says Dr. R. Paul Williamson, founder and CEO of the non-profit Sustainable Systems of Colorado.

"The United States is still almost completely reliant on finite fossil fuels, which are rapidly being depleted," says Williamson, author of Winning the Energy Wars: A Sustainable Energy Plan for America's Future (www.usa-sep.com). "We should be following a plan now that transitions us to sustainable energy sources but, believe or not, there is no plan."

The country faces oil shortages, international security turmoil and expanding environmental impacts, he says.

"Our entire future hinges on a sustainable energy plan," he says. "A crisis will impact our whole quality of life. It's not just gasoline; petroleum products are used in pharmaceuticals, plastics, things we rely on every day. The time to put together a plan is now - not when we're in crisis."

After studying the details of the nation's looming energy crisis, the former executive director of Hydrogen and Alternative Research and Development for the University of Montana says he's drafted a detailed plan that is systematic, non-threatening and sustainable. Three key features are:

• Abolish the U.S. Department of Energy. Though the 1973 oil crisis led to its creation, the Department of Energy has done nothing to create a sustainable energy plan in its 35 years of existence. Such a strategic plan isn't even a goal. Why? Politics. The big, all-powerful oil companies would not benefit. "To ensure America's security and prosperity'' is the department's stated mission.

• Create a Governors National Sustainable Energy Council. Direct the work of implementing the energy plan to leaders who are already doing that. Thirty of our 50 states have adopted goals for sustainable energy, and some have already achieved them. The council would have a rotating two-year board consisting of two governors from each of five regions, and three at-large governors. Funding from the decommissioned Department of Energy (currently, $25 to $35 billion a year) would be diverted to the council, which would be located in America's Heartland away from Washington, DC.

• Enact legislation to establish funding. Williamson proposes a National Alternative Energy Bond Fund to provide low-interest loans to new and redirected companies; entrepreneurs and other businesses focused on domestic energy development. This could be funded through sales of Alternative Energy Series "AE" bonds, trading stocks or bonds in the market as part of the Invest in America program, and establishing a surcharge of the use of products that use finite energy resources.

"We have enough domestic finite, transitional and sustainable resources to become energy independent and we can do so if we get focused, establish a new leadership paradigm and implement what I call the 'USA Sustainable Energy Plan,' " Williamson says.

What can Americans do - besides their individual efforts to reduce reliance on gas and oil? Williamson suggests taking these steps:

• Call or email our elected officials. Contact your governor, your U.S. representative, your U.S. senators and the president.

• Tell them you support adopting the USA Sustainable Energy Plan. Ask for their support on the three action steps: decommissioning the Department of Energy, creating the governors' council, and creating and funding the alternative energy fund.

• Follow up each week. Reiterate the action items and ask what progress is being made.

For more information on the energy plan, visit www.usa-sep.com.

About R. Paul Williamson

R. Paul Williamson is founder and CEO of the non-profit Sustainable Systems of Colorado. He holds bachelor's degrees in secondary education and communications; master's in curriculum and instruction and media technology, and a doctorate in technology education. He has served as a dean at four colleges including the University of Montana, where he created the Montana Hydrogen Futures Project, a plan incorporating the state's human, natural and renewable resources to create a statewide, hydrogen-based economy. Presently, he is working to create a sustainable future for the US; deployment of a self-sustaining, hydrogen-powered, magnetic levitation personal rapid transit monorail system; a sustainable smart home development; and an H2 Futures Business Park.