NIH Does Not Keep Accurate Records Of Conflicts Of Interest For Agency Grantees, HHS Report Says

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 23 Jan 2008 - 11:00 PDT

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NIH does not have accurate documentation or records on the number of financial conflicts of interest involving scientists who are not employed by the agency but who receive federal grant money, according to a report released on Friday by HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson, Bloomberg/USA Today reports.

The report looked at conflict-of-interest reports between 2004 and 2006. It follows a Government Accountability Office investigation from May 2007 that determined NIH staff researchers require "better guidelines about when and how to bow out of studies" that might influence the organizations that sponsored their research, according to Bloomberg/USA Today.

The HHS report said, "It is imperative ... that the research conducted using these funds not be biased because of any conflicting financial interests of investigators." The report also called for inspection efforts to be stepped up to ensure hospitals, universities and other research locations follow regulatory standards and provide data on conflicts of interest and how they are handled (Lopatto, Bloomberg/USA Today, 1/21).

The report is available online (.pdf).

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