WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR CHILD ON PROZAC OR RITALIN?

Doctor Paid $500,000 Under the Table
by Drug Manufacturers

10/6/99 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The American Psychiatric Association plans to investigate a report that the head of Brown University's psychiatric department failed to more than $500,000 in consulting fees, most from pharmaceutical companies whose health benefits he praised in journals and at conferences.

Dr. Martin Keller, a noted researcher on depression, could be banned from APA-sponsored conferences if he did not follow the group's policies for financial disclosures, association spokeswoman Lynn Writsel said Wednesday.

The Boston Globe reported this week that Keller failed to disclose that he was paid more than $500,000 in consulting fees in 1998.

Most of the money came from pharmaceutical companies whose drugs he praised in medical journals and at the APA's annual meeting this year and last, the newspaper reported.

Keller, of Newton, Mass. could not be reached at his home or office for comment, and did not return messages left at both places.

The Globe reported that Keller received consulting fees from companies such as Pfizer Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wyeth-Ayerst, and Eli Lilly - all of which market antidepressants he praised in a series of medical research reports.

The school said Keller followed the school's rules to the letter. It requires annual conflict-of-interest reports for researchers who make more than $10,000 or 10 percent in equity. The reports are reviewed by a misconduct committee and the dean of the graduate school.

But the school does not require disclosure of specific dollar amounts earned.

Writsel said an association committee will review Keller's case later this month. If the committee determines punishment is necessary, it could range from a warning to a ban from making any presentations at future meetings.

Larry Sasich, a health-research analyst for Public Citizen, a Washington watchdog organization, said it is important for researchers to disclose the full extent of their financial ties with the maker of a drug they are researching.

``The fundamental basis of scientific research is that there is an open and honest presentation of the data that is not cooked, not slanted,'' Sasich said.

The Globe reported that Keller received consulting fees from companies such as Pfizer Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wyeth-Ayerst, and Eli Lilly. 

CASE AT BROWN LEADS TO REVIEW

NIMH STUDIES TIGHTER RULES ON CONFLICTS

Published on 10/08/1999. 
SOURCE: By Dolores Kong and Alison Bass, Globe Staff

The National Institute of Mental Health will review its policy on conflicts after learning of a Brown University professor who received hundreds of thousands of dollars from drug companies while he was receiving federal funds to test new drugs.

Dr. Martin Keller issued favorable reports on the drugs and Brown did not notify the federal government of the drug company payments, the Globe reported Monday.

DRUG COMPANIES ENRICH BROWN PROFESSOR

Published on 10/04/1999. Article 14 of 169 found.
SOURCE: By Alison Bass, Globe Staff

A Brown University professor who was forced last year to forfeit hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grant money was paid more than $500,000 in consulting fees in 1998, most of it from pharmaceutical companies whose drugs he touted in medical journals and at conferences.

Dr. Martin Keller of Newton earned more than $842,000 last year while serving as chief of the psychiatry department at Brown, according to financial records. More than half of his compensation came from the pharmaceuticals.

DRUG SECTOR GETS SHOT IN THE ARM FROM A TIMELY WALL STREET RALLY

Published on 08/15/1999. Article 12 of 49 found.
SOURCE: Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The Wall Street rally last week brought relief to the ailing drug sector. But while stocks like Lilly and Pfizer regained ground, some analysts say, the group will have a tough time reclaiming its favored position of last year.

In 1998, because of strong sales of hot new drugs like
and old standbys like Prozac and Prilosec, almost every major drug company saw profits soar.

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