Glaxo's Money Buys Doctor's Love
A remarkable story in the New York Times today about a medical researcher who was also a peer reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine. The researcher is named Steven Haffner of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and he's a diabetes expert who, last year, was reviewing a study in advance of its publication concerning safety questions around the drug Avandia. The drug is made by GSK.
Allegedly, Haffner "faxed the article to the drug maker after agreeing to read it as part of the peer-review process." That's a huge no-no in the science world, and a massive ethical breach on the part of a researcher. So what would so inspire a diabetes expert to risk his reputation in such a manner?
Haffner told Nature:
"'Why I sent it is a mystery,” the quote says. “I don’t really understand it. I wasn’t feeling well. It was bad judgment.'"
Wasn't feeling well? The Times reports that Haffner has received $75,000 in consulting and speaking fees from GSK since 1999.
Posted by Philip Dawdy at January 30, 2008 12:58 PM
del.icio.us
Digg it
reddit
Maybe he was dizzy from running after GSK... (Being a drug industry lapdog must be very hard work).
I suppose at least he gets paid well for living in their pocket (it must be a very big pocket though)..
But I'm sure the thoughts of more GSK cheques flowing his way will eventually perk him up a bit... woof woof .. Fetch doc fetch...
