By Julie Burger

When allegations were made public that academic researchers who conduct clinical trials were failing to report funding they received from industry (including the drug companies which produced the drug being tested), I suggested some ways medical centers or the government could assure the disclosure of these relationships.  U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R, IA) has launched an investigation into whether researchers are failing to disclose payments from pharmaceutical companies.  He found evidence that prominent physicians at prestigious universities failed to disclose payments from drug companies–some payments were even received while the doctor was conducting trials on a drug made by the company paying the physician.  Now the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services have issued a subpoena to a law firm that represents States in their claims of Medicaid fraud against manufacturers of antipsychotic drugs.  The subpoena asks for information about researchers and their connections with the drug companies.

And now Senator Grassley is at it again – this time asking Pfizer to provide information about any unreported payments made to any Harvard faculty members.  (Read the letter sent by Senator Grassley here.)  The letter also asks for any records, pictures, or files the drug company might have regarding medical students who held a demonstration protesting the relationship between their professors and drug and medical device companies.  According to a New York Times article, a pharmacy representative was present at the demonstration and took pictures of the students with a cell phone.  Senator Grassley raised concerns that this could intimidate students and prevent them from freely expressing their opinions about their professors’ ties with industry.

Some of the Harvard medical students disagree with the protesting students. They argue that academic ties with industry are necessary to fund developments and say that these ties should be disclosed, not cut all together.  The debate between the better disclosure of industry ties versus banning these ties altogether is likely to continue, and it will be interesting to see how Harvard–long considered a world leader in academic medicine–will resolve this issue.