Doctors sanctioned for drug industry ties

BOSTON, July 2 (UPI) -- A child psychiatrist and two colleagues were sanctioned for allegedly taking money from drug companies and not reporting it, officials in Massachusetts said.

After a three-year investigation, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School sanctioned renowned child psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Biederman and colleagues Drs. Thomas Spencer and Timothy Wilens -- although it did not specify the exact nature of their violations, The Boston Globe reported Saturday.

In a letter to co-workers, the three doctors apologized for violating conflict-of-interest rules, saying the school and hospital "determined that we violated certain requirements."

In 2008, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, accused the three doctors of accepting millions of dollars in consulting fees from drug makers from 2002 to 2007. Grassley also alleged the three for years failed to report much of the income to university officials.

The Globe said it was unable to get a comment from any of the parties of interest, including attorneys representing the doctors.

The investigation was sparked by Grassley's comments. He didn't return a telephone call to the Globe seeking a comment, but he has been critical of the doctors' alleged practices for years.

Other doctors said it is difficult to know if the sanctions are appropriate because Harvard and Massachusetts General's findings are vague.

"It's hard for me to make that judgment, but this all sounds like a little slap on the wrist,'' said Dr. Jerome Kassirer, a Tufts University School of Medicine professor and critic of cozy relationships between the drug industry and physicians.

Sanctions include requiring all three to refrain from all paid industry-sponsored outside activities for one year. Additionally, the three must obtain approval before engaging in paid activities, undergo unspecified training and suffer "a delay of consideration for promotion or advancement."