MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'biederman'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:32:13 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158872&cid=t_180871_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fquis-custodiet-ipsos-custodes-redux.html Revised HHS Rules for Conflict of Interest Fall Short This morning NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins announced revisions to the existing 1995 regulations on objectivity in research that is funded by the Public Health Service. The focus is on significant financial interests (SFI) and on financial conflicts of interest (FCOI). The regulations illustrate the 3-way dance involving academic institutions (the grantees), NIH (the grantor) and academic scientists (the investigators). Thanks to Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) and his investigator Paul Thacker, headlined revelations in recent years about unacceptable management of FCOI at places like Stanford (Alan Schatzberg), Emory (Charles Nemeroff) and Harvard (Joseph Biederman) forced these revisions of the NIH regulations. The general initial react... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158872 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:10:00 +0100 5158872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029207&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FmeIeLnrcOiY%2F Earlier this month, three prominent psychiatrists from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital were sanctioned for violating conflict of interest rules. The trio received grant money from various drugmakers while studying their meds, but failed to report some of the outside income to the institutions while also receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health (see this). The move followed a long-running controversy over the interplay between academia and pharma, which was prompted by a high-profile US Senate Finance Committee probe over concerns that such undisclosed relationships may unduly influence medical research and practice. For their sins, the trio issued a mea culpa. The most prominent among them is Joseph Biederman, a psychiatrist with a national profile ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029207 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:36:22 +0100 5029207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992989&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fl9r_qs2CrEo%2F Three years after they were fingered in a US Senate probe into the interplay between academics who receive grant money from both pharma and the National Institutes of Health, three prominent psychiatrists from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have been sanctioned for violating conflict of interest rules and failing to report the extent of their payments. In a mea culpa addressed to their colleagues, Joseph Biederman, Thomas Spencer and Timothy Wilens wrote that “we want to offer our sincere apologies to HMS and MGH communities…We always believed we were complying in good faith with the institutional polices and our mistakes were honest ones. We now recognize that we should have devoted more time and attention to the detailed requirements of these polici... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992989 Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:04:29 +0100 4992989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342894&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F3sVDL2lxzTA%2F A confidential report issued last fall by Novartis on behalf of several drugmakers that sell ADHD meds concludes it isn’t feasible to conduct an observational, comparative long-term study to validate a signal of adverse psychiatric or cognitive outcomes from the long-term use of methylphenidate in children and adolescents with ADHD. Methylphenidate is sold as Ritalin and Concerta, for instance. The 18-page report, which recently began circulating on the Internet, was compiled in response to a requirement issued last year by the European Commission to conduct such a study after the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use expressed concerns about safety issues, including sudden death, cerebrovascular disorders and psychiatric disorders as well as the effects on growth (see here)... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342894 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:43:34 +0100 3342894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3194016&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FrMwmpyevORk%2F In his ongoing probe of conflicts of interest involving academic researchers, US Senator Chuck Grassley is now asking the National Institutes of Mental Health director Tom Insel to provide phone records, email and calendar since early 2009, along with correspondence from NIMH staffers in response to Grassley’s investigations. For the past two years, Grassley has pursued conflicts in which academic researchers accept funding from the NIH and industry, and instances where their universities have failed to monitor or report payments. According to current NIH regulations, payments above $10,000 should be reported. In his Jan. 20 letter, Grassley cites several examples… The psychiatry chair at Emory University, Charles Nemeroff, failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in p... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3194016 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:11:26 +0100 3194016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3176116&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FR_gl2uLH-cQ%2F The number of children aged 2 to 5 who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed antipsychotics has doubled over the past decade, suggesting the practice is becoming more prevalent, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Reuters reports. The data could play a role at the upcoming murder trials of the parents of 4-year-old Rebecca Riley, who died of an overdose of mood-stabilizing meds in 2006, Reuters writes. A child psychiatrist, Kayoko Kifuji, diagnosed Riley with bipolar disorder and ADHD when she was 30 months old, and placed her on Depakote, an antiseizure med also used for bipolar disorder, and clonidine, a blood pressure med. Prosecutors claim the parents deliberately overmedicated their daughter to subdue he... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3176116 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:19:46 +0100 3176116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023410&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F7tjKjqLZKqo%2F Why? There are concerns that the guidelines, which are based, in part, on work by a Harvard University researcher, may have been undermined due to his financial ties to drugmakers, according to The Daily Telegraph. A Congressional investigation revealed last year that Harvard’s Joseph Biederman had earned far more money from drugmakers than he had reported to the school (back story and more here). The probe found about $1.6 million in payments and by failing to report income, he may have violated federal and university research rules governing conflicts of interest. Harvard Medical School is supposedly investigating the discrepancies, although it remains unclear if any action was taken. Meanwhile, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians is belatedly conducting a review that is jeopa... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023410 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:33:40 +0100 3023410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2125386&cid=t_180871_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.com%2F2009%2F01%2F22%2Fquick-fix-guess-not%2F Dog Mauling Oh yeah, sure…the media plays the crazy card excuse for a little dog. I’m blaming it’s owner and the vet or whoever the hell put it on drugs instead of giving it a stable home/pack life. AKA  Obedience Training. If this were a bigger dog (such as the sweetie on my couch, who is asleep with her [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2125386 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:02:57 +0100 2125386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2046755&cid=t_180871_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F12%2F17%2Fmental-health-year-in-review-2008%2F Pages: 1 2 3 Next »     Single Page As another year comes to a close, it’s time to review what made the biggest news in 2008 in mental health and psychology. Of course, the biggest news of the year — the historic election of Barack Obama — is not directly related to mental health but worthy of note. His policies and appointments over the next four years are likely to make a substantial impact in funding and policies in American healthcare (and mental health care). Highlights from Research This was a bad year for antidepressant research. Antidepressants are a class of psychiatric medications most commonly prescribed to relieve depression, but increasingly being prescribed for practically any ailment. In January, The New England Journal of Medicine ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2046755 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:39:42 +0100 2046755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2040157&cid=t_180871_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.com%2F2008%2F12%2F15%2Fdr-not-biederman%2F Laurel L. Williams is not Dr. Biederman. She is program director of the Menninger Clinic’s adolescent treatment program and assistant director of residency training, (child and adolescent psychiatry); and assistant professor in the Menninger department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. I’d also pay money to see her in a room with [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2040157 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:50:31 +0100 2040157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2021725&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F478854343%2F The Boston psychiatrist, who is being investigated by the US Senate Finance Committee for allegedly failing to fully disclose payments from drugmakers, defended himself against conflict-of-interest charges in a letter to The Boston Globe. Biederman was responding to reports that newly disclosed court documents indicated he sought funds from Johnson & Johnson to create an institute at Massachusetts General Hospital would help promote the use of antipsychotic drugs for youngsters diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the paper writes (back story here and here). In one internal 2002 e-mail, execs at J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceutica, which sells Risperdal, discuss Biederman’s repeated proposals for the drugmaker to help fund a center on pediatric bipolar disorder. “The ratio... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2021725 Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:20:35 +0100 2021725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1996756&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F466307897%2F Earlier this week, we learned that reknowned Harvard University psychiatrist Joseph Biederman pushed Johnson & Johnson to fund a research center at Massachusetts General Hospital that would focus on the use of its Risperdal antipsychotic in children, well before the med was approved for pediatric use (back story). Seeking to curry favor with the influential doc, Biederman was put in charge of the institute. He also began a study of 40 children between 4 and 6 years old who were given Risperdal and Lilly’s Zyprexa, another antipsychotic. At the time, Harvard University and MGH rules forbid researchers from running trials with drugmakers if they receive more than $10,000 from a company that makes the drug. However, info provided to the US Senate Finance Committee, which has been i... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1996756 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:48:40 +0100 1996756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1984811&cid=t_180871_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F11%2F24%2Fjj-allegedly-funded-positive-research%2F The trickle of incriminating evidence against Dr. Joseph Biederman, a Harvard world-renowned child psychiatrist known for his advocacy of “pediatric bipolar disorder,” has turned into a torrent — of emails and internal documents. The New York Times reports, based upon the release of court documents containing internal documents and emails, that Dr. Biederman was allegedly paid by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for his promotion of pediatric bipolar disorder and research into showing the efficacy of a drug used to treat it, Risperdal. Lots of good reporting on this today, so let’s start with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s take: Johnson & Johnson gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to a research center run by an influential child psychiatrist explici... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1984811 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:15:53 +0100 1984811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1985162&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F464258000%2F Last June, when a Congressional investigation revealed Harvard University’s Joseph Biederman had earned far more money from drugmakers than he had reported to the school, the world-renowned child psychiatrist insisted his “interests are solely in the advancement of medical treatment through rigorous and objective study.” (Back story). Now, e-mails and internal Johnson & Johnson documents made public in a court filing reveal Biederman pushed the drugmaker to fund a research center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the point was “to move forward the commercial goals of J&J,” according to the documents, The New York Times reports. The documents also show J&J wrote a draft summary of a study that Biederman was said to author (here are the documents... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1985162 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:08:57 +0100 1985162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1871104&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F416746621%2F For the past several months, the US Senate Finance Committee has been investigating undisclosed conflicts of interest involving academic researchers who receive NIH grants and pharma funding. At issue is whether universities are fulfilling their requirements to adequately monitor these disclosures in an effort to maintain scientific integrity and objectivity (back story here, here, here, here and here. Nature Medicine spoke with Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, about the probe. This is an excerpt… Nature Medicine:What are you hoping to accomplish? Grassley: NIH gives $24 billion worth of grants…The law requires the universities to have their researchers report outside income. We found out the law wasn’t being followed. The universities were not doi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1871104 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:23:26 +0100 1871104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1852738&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F410375229%2F Why was Charles Nemeroff, the well-known psychiatry department chair at Emory University, anxious about an e-mail from The New York Times in August? Could it be that word had leaked Emory was concerned about an ongoing probe by the Senate Finance Committee into disclosures of NIH and pharma funding to academic researchers? Was Nemeroff next? By then, the committee was investigating Stanford University’s Alan Schatzberg, Harvard University’s Joe Biederman, Brown University’s Martin Keller, University of Texas’ Karen Wagner and John Rush, and Melissa DelBello at the University of Cincinnati. Yesterday, we noted Nemeroff wrote an angry memo to the associate dean at Emory’s School of Medicine, who questioned pharma ties to an annual event he runs for psychiatry re... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852738 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:55:23 +0100 1852738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1851212&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F409343727%2F The ongoing investigation by the Senate Finance Committee seems to be making some universities a bit, well, sensitive to the activities undertaken by faculty members. You may recall that Chuck Grassley, the commitee’s ranking Republican, is probing pharma and NIH funding given academic researchers - particularly psychiatrists - and whether any conflicts are properly disclosed. So far, the committee has singled out Stanford University’s Alan Schatzberg, Harvard University’s Joe Biederman, Brown University’s Martin Keller, University of Texas’ Karen Wagner and John Rush, and Melissa DelBello at the University of Cincinnati. Charles Nemeroff, the well-known psychiatry chairman at Emory University, has not made the list, but the school appears, nonetheless, to be ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851212 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:19:44 +0100 1851212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1769138&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F383216828%2F Under pressure from an ongoing US Senate investigation, the National Institutes of Health last week sent reminders to universities that “proper stewardship of Federal funds includes ensuring objectivity of results by protecting federally-funded research from compromise by FCOI,” or financial conflicts of interest. The August 25 e-mail was written by Norka Ruiz Bravo, the NIH deputy director for extramural research, who last March told The New York Times that “for us to try to manage directly the conflict-of-interest of an NIH investigator would be not only inappropriate but pretty much impossible.” She added that “I think (the system) is working to the extent that people are being honest and I think most people are honest.” Honesty aside, the Senate Finance Co... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1769138 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:38:08 +0100 1769138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1655670&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F345833615%2F The ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee wants the National Institutes of Health to revoke grants to academic scientists who fail to report financial conflicts of interest to their institutions, the Iowa Senator tells The Chronicle of Higher Education. His remarks come after targeting Harvard University, Stanford University and the University of Cincinnati, because some academics underreported their own financial interests in research projects supported by the NIH. Institutions are required by federal regulation to report the existence of those conflicts to the agency. Grassley is seeking info from 20 other institutions about financial conflicts among their scientists, including Brown University’s Martin Keller, and the American Psychiatric Association. Since 1995, an N... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655670 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:01:05 +0100 1655670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1622999&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F335299832%2F Among the 30 or so physicians at two dozen universities that the Senate Finance Committee is probing concerning disclosure of grants from drugmakers is Martin Keller, a psychiatrist at Brown University who is a controversial figure for his role in studying Glaxo’s Paxil antidepressant. The committee, according to sources familiar with the investigation, sent a letter to Brown as part of its investigation. We are awaiting a reply from Brown and will update you shortly. In recent weeks, the committee has acknowledged focusing on three academic psychiatrists - Harvard University’s Joe Biederman, Stanford University’s Alan Schatzberg and the University of Cincinnati’s Melissa DelBello. Last week, Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, also asked the Am... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1622999 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:09:11 +0100 1622999 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1551898&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F321279248%2F The investigation by the Senate Finance Committee into academic researchers who simultaneously receive funding from pharma and the NIH - without fully disclosing their payments - has been followed closely on this site. For those of you, however, who enjoy a watching televised version of the saga, or simply missed an item here or there, CBS Evening News ran a segment last night. Here it is… (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1551898 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:08:44 +0100 1551898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1543925&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F319993115%2F In response to sustained public pressure, the National Institutes of Health is now getting set to tighten its oversight on grants awarded academic researchers, whose institutions are required to report any conflicts of interest. Recent examples uncovered by the Senate Finance Committee, however, have embarrassed the NIH and several universities, most notably Harvard University. Over the past several months, the committee has disclosed instances where academic researchers at Harvard, Stanford University and the University of Cincinnatti accepted funding from both the NIH and various drugmakers, but failed to fully disclose industry payments. Universities are supposed to monitor researchers and the NIH is supposed to monitor the universities for conflicts involving payments exceeding $10,000... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1543925 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:03:01 +0100 1543925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1543928&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F319828349%2F The US Senate Finance Committee charges that Stanford University failed to properly monitor alleged conflicts of interest involving Alan Schatzberg, who chairs the psychiatry department at Stanford University and who owns about $6 million in stock in Corcept Therapeutics, which that participates in a National Institutes of Health study he oversees. This is the latest such case involving high-profile academics, who receive funding from both the NIH and industry, to be investigated by Chuck Grassley, the ranking committee Republican, for possible violations of federal regulations. At issue are whether universities are adequately policing disclosures in an effort to maintain scientific integrity and objectivity. Earlier this month, he targeted three Harvard University psychiatrists, including... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1543928 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:34:27 +0100 1543928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526904&cid=t_180871_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fzimney%2Fdoes-st-johns-wort-help-adhd%2F According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), St. John’s Wort is ineffective in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Moreover, hundreds of newspaper articles, Internet postings and TV/radio news reports have parroted these findings, widely sounding the death knell for this particular herbal remedy in ADHD. But a critical look at the research publication in JAMA leads me to conclude that the study actually adds little to our understanding of whether or not St. John’s Wort is effective for ADHD. There are at least four major flaws with this study, namely: it was small, it was short, it used subpotent test “drug,” and one of its researchers is widely known to be on the payroll of big ph... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526904 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:11:21 +0100 1526904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1522553&cid=t_180871_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F06%2F15%2Fthe-situation-of-medical-research%2F Gardiner Harris and Benedict Carey wrote an article in last week’s New York Times includes, titled “Researchers Fail to Reveal Full Drug Pay.“ In it , they describe yet another instance of industry influence over what research and manipulation of the marketplace of ideas. We’ve included a few excerpts from the story below. * * * A world-renowned Harvard child psychiatrist whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of powerful antipsychotic medicines in children earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drug makers from 2000 to 2007 but for years did not report much of this income to university officials, according to information given Congressional investigators. By failing to report income, the psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman, and a colleague in the psych... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1522553 Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:01:35 +0100 1522553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1508288&cid=t_180871_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F06%2F11%2Fst-johns-wort-for-adhd%2F We’re really scratching our heads with this one. As we noted yesterday, St. John’s wort is not an effective treatment for attention deficit disorder (ADHD). Okay. That’s fine. But when we looked through the literature to try and figure out why anyone would think St. John’s wort would be effective for ADHD, we came up empty-handed. It’s fairly unusual to see researchers go to the trouble of a trial of this size and nature to prove a negative. But then when we saw one of the authors of the study was none other than the infamous Joseph Biederman of the Harvard scandal, the pieces fell together. To us, it would be like suggesting St. John’s wort may be an effective treatment for schizophrenia, since they both purportedly work on neurotransmitters in the br... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1508288 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:30:14 +0100 1508288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1502736&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F308299420%2F In a revealing piece about conflicts of interest involving academic researchers, NIH grants and pharma funding, The New York Times noted that Harvard child psychiatrist Joseph Biederman defended his work into bipolar disorder and that he takes conflict of interest charges seriously. Biederman, who has been lauded and criticized for advancing bipolar diagnosis for kids and off-label med use, had another defender. Susan Resko, director of the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, told the Times: “I consider Dr. Biederman a true visionary in recognizing this illness in children, and he’s not only saved many lives but restored hope to thousands of families across the country.” Two points worth noting - a major donor to the foundation is Johnson & Johnson, which sells Risperda... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502736 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:03:28 +0100 1502736 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1502524&cid=t_180871_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F06%2F09%2Fharvard-researchers-and-a-broken-system%2F The New York Times reported yesterday on a Senator Grassley’s revelations into unreported income by some big names amongst researchers. I don’t get how Harvard renowned researchers could be so blasé about failing to report millions of dollars in income from pharmaceutical companies. The researchers — Drs. Joseph Biederman, Timothy Wilens, and Thomas J. Spencer — failed to report millions of dollars to their university, as required by Harvard’s rules regarding conflicts of interest. The time period under investigation by Senator Charles E. Grassley was from 2000 to 2007, and two of the researchers– Wilens and Biederman — both failed to report $1.6 million in earnings from pharma, or about $225,000 a year. This is not chump change to anyone. The... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502524 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:00:20 +0100 1502524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1501502&cid=t_180871_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F307089180%2F A Harvard child psychiatrist whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of antipsychotics in children earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drugmakers from 2000 to 2007 but for years did not report much of the income to university officials, according to information given Congressional investigators, The New York Times reports. By failing to report income, the psychiatrist, Joseph Biederman, and a colleague in the psychiatry department at Harvard Medical School, Timothy Wilens, may have violated federal and university research rules governing conflicts of interest, US Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican tells the Times, since some of their research is financed by government grants. Grassley has been investigating the interplay between academics who receive gra... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1501502 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 01:51:37 +0100 1501502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1417854&cid=t_180871_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F05%2F02%2Fdoes-treatment-of-adhd-lead-to-substance-abuse%2F One of the long-standing concerns amongst professionals and parents alike is the possibility that early treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADHD) with stimulant medication (such as Ritalin or Adderall) could possibly lead to later problems. New research suggests these concerns are largely unfounded, with one possible exception. The studies were published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry and both studies largely showed no positive association between the use of stimulant medication in children and an increased risk of substance abuse later on in life. The first study, Biederman et. al. (2008) reported on the 10-year followup of 112 children who were between 6 and 17 years-old when first entered into the study: In a longitudinal sample of male subjects diagno... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1417854 Fri, 02 May 2008 22:14:40 +0100 1417854