This week, the federal government is releasing the final version of long-awaited transparency rules to disclose the financial ties between medical researchers who receive billions of dollars in federal funding and the pharmaceutical industry.  On Aug. 4, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa urged the government not to dilute the rules.  Grassley's prior oversight uncovered several instances of such financial relationships that were not public. Grassley's letter to the Office of Management and Budget came in response to a media report that the agency was removing the requirement in the proposed rule for a publicly available website that would publish the outside financial interests of researchers funded by taxpayers.  The final rules include the diluted, weak requirement:  Information about an individual with a significant financial interest in the subject of a federally funded research project must be disclosed via a publicly accessible website or via written response to any requestor within five business days.  Grassley made the following comment on the final rules.

"Making the method of disclosure optional hurts public access.  An institution that doesn't want to disclose information readily will be able to opt for the written request, knowing that requiring a request in writing is a barrier.  It's easier to look up information online than have to find the right addressee, write the letter, and wait for a response.  This is a missed opportunity to inject transparency where it's really needed.  With less public scrutiny than we could have had, we'll lose a valuable layer of oversight.  This is ironic, coming from an Administration that pledged more transparency in government.  Transparency requires action, not just words."

The final rules are available here.

The text of Grassley's Aug. 4 letter is available here.

For Immediate Release
Thursday, August 4, 2011

Grassley Urges Agency Not to Weaken Federal Health Research Transparency Rule

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley today urged a key federal agency not to dilute a long-awaited transparency rule that would help disclose financial ties between medical researchers who receive billions of dollars in federal funding and the pharmaceutical industry.

"The public's business ought to be public," Grassley said.  "Transparency is a backstop against research that's compromised by doctors' self-interest, to the detriment of consumers.  Backsliding on transparency would undermine the good work done in recent years to shine a light on these financial relationships."

Grassley wrote to the Office of Management and Budget in response to a media report that the agency is proposing to weaken transparency rules proposed in May 2010 by the Department of Health and Human Services.  According to the article, the Office of Management and Budget is removing the requirement in the proposed rule for a publicly available website that would publish the outside financial interests of researchers funded by taxpayers. 

The Department of Health and Human Services includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the primary means of federal funding of medical research at universities and large medical centers.  The President's proposed budget for the National Institutes of Health for 2012 is $32 billion, with about 83 percent dedicated for research around the country.

In 2007, Grassley began looking into whether universities have disclosed their professors' outside financial interests and found several cases indicating that more transparency might be helpful, including:

--The chair of the Psychiatry Department at Emory University failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from a pharmaceutical company while researching that same company's drugs with an NIH grant.  The Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General is now investigating the matter.

--The chair of the Psychiatry Department at Stanford University received an NIH grant to study a drug while partially owning a company that was seeking Food and Drug Administration approval of said drug.  He was later removed from the grant.

--Three psychiatrists at Harvard University failed to report almost a million dollars each in outside income while heading up several NIH grants.  Harvard released a report on the matter, and a briefing has been scheduled with Grassley's office.

Also, the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that the NIH doesn't adequately monitor its outside grants for conflicts of interest.

A law enacted last year through Grassley and Sen. Herb Kohl will require public disclosure of drug company and medical device manufacturer payments to doctors, starting in March 2013. 

The rule proposed for NIH grants would require the research institutions to determine potential conflicts of interest grant by grant, such as whether the doctor owns shares in a company that could cause bias in his or her federally funded research.  The details would have to be posted online for public access. The Office of Management and Budget is proposing to eliminate the online requirement, according to a media article. 

"If the online requirement is gone, it will be much harder for the public to see and use this information," Grassley said. "Without public scrutiny, we'd lose a valuable layer of oversight."

The text of Grassley's letter is available here.

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Grant will help create a health education program for older adults

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will use a $21,580 grant from The Wellmark Foundation to help revise the Chef Charles nutrition education program for older Iowans.

The Chef Charles Revision Project

According to the Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Iowa Department on Aging (IDA), Iowa ranks fifth in the nation in adults over age 65, with almost 15 percent of the state's population at least 65 years of age. By 2030, more than 22 percent of Iowa's total population is expected to be 65 or older.

Good nutrition and physical activity are integral parts to successful aging, making it important to remind older adults of the best choices in purchasing and preparing food and staying active and alert, said Carlene Russell, IDA Nutrition Manager. "Older adults who consume an adequate diet are more likely to maintain a healthy weight, be mentally and physically fit, and live independently for a longer time."

The Wellmark Foundation grant will fund the Chef Charles Revision Project. The revision will integrate information attained through qualitative program evaluation, professional independent program review, and future needs and preference assessment to create an evidence-based nutrition education program for older adults. This collaborative project is being conducted by ISU Extension and Outreach, Iowa Nutrition Network at the Iowa Department of Health and the IDA.

Currently, the Chef Charles program is offered at about one-third of Iowan congregate meal sites serving more than 3,000 older Iowans, said Sarah Francis, ISU Extension and Outreach nutrition specialist and assistant professor. "We expect this project will result in a nutrition education program that has greater impact and is more cost effective. Our goal is that older Iowans will be less at-risk for poor nutrition, eat more fruits and vegetables, and learn to make more healthful food choices overall. We also expect higher participant satisfaction than the current Chef Charles program."

Grant one of only six competitively selected

The Wellmark Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that seeks to improve the health of Iowans, South Dakotans and their communities. Through its initial 2011 Healthy Communities Grant Program, the foundation received more than 80 grant requests seeking seed support for smaller community health projects. This grant award to Iowa State represents one of six competitively awarded grants to establish pilot efforts or expand health initiatives throughout Iowa and South Dakota.

The Wellmark Foundation awarded a cumulative total of $140,000 to these six grants to serve as catalyst funding for local health projects.

"With a significant number of Iowans age 65 and older, the revised Chef Charles Program has great potential to make an even more significant impact on the physical and mental health of older Iowans, and we're excited to see results in the years to come," said Matt McGarvey, director of The Wellmark Foundation.

About Iowa State University

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers practical, how-to education based on university research. It's available to any resident of Iowa and is tailored to meet the needs of Iowans. ISU Extension and Outreach educators, specialists and volunteers live and work in all 99 Iowa counties.

For more information on the Chef Charles Revision Project, contact Sarah Francis, 515-294-1456 or slfranci@iastate.edu. For more information regarding The Wellmark Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.wellmark.com/foundation.

About The Wellmark Foundation

The Wellmark Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created by Wellmark Inc., doing business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Please visit The Wellmark Foundation's website at www.wellmark.com/foundation to learn more about the grant program, as well as a list of previous grant recipients. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and The Wellmark Foundation are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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Many of the bids in the 41st Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup included putting native grasses or native pollinator habitat on a portion of the CRP acres. To help landowners learn more about getting good establishment of the native grasses, a field day has been set for Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Iowa State University (ISU) Southeast Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville.

Native grasses are slower to establish than many of the cool season forages farmers normally use for haying and grazing. The seed is also fluffier and may require some different seeding techniques. With proper planning, seeding, and weed control, excellent stands can be established in the first year.

Field day topics will include species selection, seeding mixes, seeding methods, weed control and maximizing wildlife benefits. Special focus will be on establishing native grasses on existing CRP where presently there is brome grass cover. Participants will also have the chance to compare native grass stands that were done as a dormant seeding in the late fall, an early spring frost seeding, and a late spring seeding.

To get to the SE Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm, go 1¾ miles south of Crawfordsville on Hwy 218, then 2 miles east on G-62, then ¾ mile north on the Louisa - Washington Rd. Watch for signs.

The field day is sponsored by ISU Extension and Outreach, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). For more information, call 319-337-2145.

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