Email this article to a friend Printable Version FREE Email Newsletter
(NaturalNews) A top researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was charged Monday with criminal violation of federal conflict-of-interest laws by failing to disclose financial links with drug giant Pfizer, prosecutors said.
Pearson "Trey" Sunderland III, former chief of the Geriatric Psychiatry Branch of the NIH, was charged with one misdemeanor count for accepting $285,000 in undisclosed consulting fees from Pfizer. Sunderland -- who faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine -- has waived the grand jury indictment process, indicating he may consent to a plea agreement.
Prosecutors have charged Sunderland with failing to list the payments from Pfizer, which were made between 1997 and 2004. During NIH studies with Pfizer and another company in 1998 to find indicators of Alzheimer's disease in government-provided samples of cerebrospinal fluid, Sunderland allegedly agreed to accept $25,000 per year in consulting fees, as well as a $2,500 fee for attending one-day meetings with the company.
According to the charging document, Sunderland made a similar arrangement to receive an additional $25,000 per year from Pfizer during a separate study of two "biomarkers" believed to identify Alzheimer's disease in patients.
Though Sunderland's attorney Robert F. Muse said he had no comment on the case, he had previously said Sunderland had not attempted to conceal his outside work, and he a number of other NIH researchers saw financial disclosure forms as a "bureaucratic nuisance."
News of Sunderland's alleged lack of disclosure touched off a probe of ethical lapses by researchers at the NIH. Congressional investigators uncovered 44 NIH researchers who had accepted undisclosed money from drug and biotechnology companies. Last August -- one year after Sunderland's undisclosed finances were discovered -- the NIH passed new regulations barring employees from working for or owning stock in pharmaceutical or biotech companies.
According to consumer health advocate Mike Adams, author of "Take Back Your Health Power," conflicts of interest like Sunderland's are rife in government agencies, such as the FDA, where decision makers and experts -- especially those charged with approving drug therapies -- frequently have undisclosed financial conflicts.
"Drug company money has infected and corrupted every health-related department of the U.S. government," Adams said. "From regulatory departments like the FDA to research organizations like the NIH, pharmaceutical companies have used bribery and corruption to buy the influence they need to maximize profits.
"The prosecution of one NIH researcher is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.
Sunderland invoked his Fifth Amendment right protecting against self-incrimination when he was called to testify before a House subcommittee in June. His first hearing on the new charge is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 8 in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
###
Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter
|

(FREE) Thursday evening, Nov. 12 at 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern), call in to hear the NaturalNews Talk Hour with special guest Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn - "Making Yourself Heart Attack Proof" Register via email to receive call-in number:
|
|
 Explore NaturalPedia.com, the internet's largest natural health encyclopedia of knowledge, covering over 50,000 topics. It's free! Visit NaturalPedia.com.
|
FREE Report: The Five Best Anti-Viral Products to Beat Influenza, Swine Flu, Bird Flu and SARS
• Top anti-viral remedies
• Where to get them now
• Four things to avoid
• Become self-reliant
• Boost your family safety
Click here to read the FREE report now.
|
W.H.O. Declares Global Pandemic Turn FEAR into Confidence!
Listen to the complete 3.5 hour recording on 4 audio CDs of the Health Ranger's Swine Flu Advanced Preparedness Course, covering natural anti-virals, family safety, infrastructure disruptions, quarantine, preparedness gear and much more.
Testimonials:
"Mike Adams' preparedness course turned our fears into confidence. This is POWERFUL information, coming from a trusted source. If you want to save yourself countless hours researching and getting prepared and if you want to do everything in your power to protect your family, I highly recommend the Health Ranger’s Advanced Preparedness Course."
- N. Nelson (Arizona)
"This is packed information no one should miss."
- T. Valenzuela
"Thanks Mike... during this class you covered prevention and preparedness from A to Z with integrity, brave honesty and outstanding knowledge! Thank you for your steadfast, thorough and cool-headed approach to well being. With deep gratitude for your service." - Bev
Available NOW for immediate shipping.
100% satisfaction guarantee
NEW Product: Valley of Longevity Shampoo from the Health Ranger
• 98% Organic
• 100% Natural
• 100% Fragrance Free!
• No SLS
• No Parabens
• No synthetic chemicals
• FREE shipping in U.S. on orders over $75
Click here to read more...
|
|
|