A weekend report in the Seattle Times that medical researchers are accepting large fees to deliver early news on the outcomes of clinical research trials has touched off a furor in Washington, DC. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who has headed Senate probes of the pharmaceutical industry, has called for a formal investigation of 26 reported cases where early data on research trials were delivered to Wall Street research firms.
According to the report, Gerson Lehrman Group has 60,000 doctors available to discuss research information with clients who pay as much as $1 million per year for the information. But the research group denies any wrongdoing, saying that doctors are paid upwards of $500 per hour even if they cut off discussions when it involves confidential information.
- read this story from the San Francisco Chronicle