Emory psychiatrist accused of not reporting drug company income

A high-profile Emory University psychiatrist has been accused of failing to report one-third of the $2.8 million in consulting fees he received from companies whose drugs he was evaluating, according to Congressional investigators. The psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Nemeroff, got the money from GlaxoSmithKline between 2000 and 2007, while he was principal investigator on a $3.9 million NIH study of five Glaxo drugs used for treatment of depression, investigators said. Nemeroff is the sixth psychiatrist named as facing similar conflicts of interest since the Congressional probe began.

According to Congressional researchers, Dr. Nemeroff continued to get large amounts of money for giving speeches to other doctors, despite having signed University documents pledging to accept no more than $10,000 a year from any one company. Since the allegations were revealed, Nemeroff has stepped down as chairman of Emory's psychiatry department.

The ongoing investigation of such conflicts of interest is being spearheaded by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), who is promoting a bill that would require pharmaceutical and medical device companies to disclose all payments over $500 they make to physicians.

To learn more about these allegations, and the ongoing investigation:
- read this Los Angeles Times piece

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