[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10641-S10644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PAYMENTS TO RADIO HOST

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, several years ago, I started looking at 
the financial relationships between physicians and drug companies. I am 
doing this because I am concerned that there is very little 
transparency on this issue. I have also learned that the little 
transparency that does exist is not being enforced or is being enforced 
inconsistently.
  For instance, the National Institutes of Health requires researchers 
to report outside payments to their institution if they receive a grant 
from the NIH. But I have learned that some researchers are failing to 
properly report this money.
  Recently, I examined payments from pharmaceutical companies to a 
professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati. I found out 
that she was not reporting tens of thousand of dollars in outside 
income.
  I then looked at a group of the world's most prominent child 
psychiatrists, in particular, three researchers at Harvard who have 
taken millions of dollars from the drug companies. These doctors are 
funded by several NIH grants, but they were not reporting all of their 
money from the drug companies as required by NIH regulations.
  I then discovered a department chairman at Stanford who founded a 
company that was seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration 
to market a drug for depression. The NIH is funding some research on 
this drug which was being led by this same Stanford scientist. Because 
there were some obvious conflicts with this situation, the NIH recently 
forced Stanford to pull this professor off the grant.
  I also sent letters to the University of Texas and Emory University 
about researchers at their institutions.
  I would now like to discuss another troubling aspect about the lack 
of financial transparency in medicine.
  ``The Infinite Mind'' is a radio show that is independently produced 
but runs on over 300 public radio stations. It is possibly the most 
authoritative program on psychology and neuroscience in America. This 
show has won over 60 journalism awards. According to a biography of the 
show's host, it has an audience of over half a million people.
  Back in my home State of Iowa, ``The Infinite Mind'' is broadcast on 
most Sundays, early in the evening. My guess is that thousands of 
Iowans tune in. According to its own website, ``The Infinite Mind'' 
prides itself on its

[[Page S10642]]

``independence.'' But there may be some problems with their financial 
transparency.
  Last May, a couple of reporters for a news site called ``Slate'' 
wrote about an episode of ``The Infinite Mind'' called Prozac Nation: 
Revisited. During this episode, three guests on the show discussed 
problems with antidepressants. After listening to a recording of the 
show, it appeared to me that the real effect of this particular episode 
was to undercut any criticism that antidepressants might be linked to 
an increased risk of suicide. This is an issue I tackled a few years 
back.
  Maybe these three guests felt that there really is no problem with 
antidepressants. But a large number of experts believe that 
antidepressants may be associated with an increased risk of suicide, 
particularly in kids. In fact, last March, two months before this show 
aired, Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority MHRA, 
concluded a 4 year investigation of the antidepressant, Paxil. That 
report found that GSK had been aware since 1998 that Paxil was 
associated with a higher risk of suicidal behavior in adolescents.
  Now don't get me wrong, experts on public radio have a right to 
express their own opinions. However, I am concerned that the host of 
``The Infinite Mind'' never pointed out that all three of the show's 
guests had strong financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
  That is right. Every one of them. And this was never mentioned during 
the program or by the guests who appeared.
  What listeners also never learned is that the host of ``The Infinite 
Mind'' has his own ties to drugmakers. When a show runs on National 
Public Radio, NPR, doesn't the public have a right to know where the 
show's host gets his money?
  The host of ``The Infinite Mind'' is Dr. Frederick Goodwin, who I am 
told, is one of our country's leading experts on bipolar disorder. In 
fact, he has written the definitive textbook on bipolar disorder. He is 
now an adjunct professor at George Washington University Medical Center 
and was formerly the director of the National Institute of Mental 
Health.
  But what you would never know about Dr. Goodwin is that he is also a 
paid spokesman for several drug companies. Now, I don't know how much 
money Dr. Goodwin actually receives from all the drug companies, but 
based on documents my office has received from GlaxoSmithKline, I do 
know that GlaxoSmithKline pays him around $2500 for every talk his 
gives on treatments for bipolar disorder and depression. These talks 
concerned several drugs such as Wellbutrin, Eskalith, and Lamictal.
  Based on documents that my office received from GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. 
Goodwin gives these talks to doctor groups around the country. So far 
this year, Glaxo reports that the company paid Dr. Goodwin over 
$130,000 for over 50 different talks. Of course, Dr. Goodwin may be 
making more money from other drug companies, but I only asked 
GlaxoSmithKline for their information. I do know from a scientific 
paper that Dr. Goodwin published that he has also given talks on behalf 
of Pfizer, Solvay, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Astra Zeneca and Bristol Myers 
Squibb. And he has served as a consultant for many of these companies, 
as well.
  In fact, Dr. Goodwin was very busy the week that the episode of 
Prozac Nation: Revisited started airing last March 26. 
GlaxoSmithKline's records show that the company paid Dr. Goodwin for 
several talks he gave that week on bipolar disorder and Lamictal.
  In fact, records show that he gave around eight talks at $2500 each, 
bringing him around $20,000 in payments. Several of the talks were done 
by teleconference, but Dr. Goodwin also spoke about Lamictal at 
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse in Birmingham, Michigan and the Rosebud 
Steak House in Schaumburg, IL.
  Based upon the information provided to my staff, Dr. Goodwin was also 
very active on behalf of Glaxo in 2005. That year, Glaxo paid Dr. 
Goodwin over $300,000 in speaking fees and around $25,000 in expenses 
to discuss their products. And this was the same year that he hosted an 
episode for ``The Infinite Mind'' on bipolar disorder in kids. Again 
there was no disclosure on the show about Dr. Goodwin's financial ties 
to GlaxoSmithKline or other drug companies.
  Let's take this one step further. When an episode on bipolar disorder 
first aired on September 20, 2005, Dr. Goodwin was once again on the 
road for the Glaxo. Glaxo's records show that the company paid him 
$2500 for a talk he gave that day on drug therapy for bipolar disorder. 
The talk was at Lemonia, a Tuscan restaurant located at the Ritz 
Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, FL.
  I don't think it takes a journalism or ethics professor to figure out 
that listeners of a national radio show should be told about the host's 
financial interests. It just seems obvious. This type of information 
should be out in the open and transparent.
  People should know that since 2000, GlaxoSmithKline has paid the host 
of a radio program on psychiatry over $1.2 million in speaking fees and 
over $100,000 in expenses. People should know that, based on 
information from Glaxo, most of these fees were paid to Dr. Goodwin 
through Best Practice, a pharmaceutical consulting firm that he helped 
establish in the late nineties. Among the many services that have been 
offered by Best Practice are marketing consultation, and the 
``dissemination of new off label information.''
  Now, I have already pointed out that this independently produced 
radio show runs on over 300 public radio stations. But it also runs on 
NPR's satellite station. This got the attention of Margaret Low Smith, 
a vice president at NPR. She has stated that any show that runs on 
NPR's satellite station, and I quote, ``must live up to NPR standards 
.''
  So I would like to go over some of those standards as found on NPR's 
own website. According to NPR's own policies, and I quote, ``confidence 
in us as independent and fair means avoiding actual and apparent 
conflicts of interest or engaging in outside activities, public comment 
or writing that calls into question our ability to report fairly on a 
subject.''
  The policy also states that an individual covered under this code 
``has the responsibility to disclose potential conflicts of interest.''
  I think these are very fair standards on transparency, and I hope 
that shows running on NPR will try to live up to them in the future.
  It is not my job as a Senator to screen newspapers, the evening news 
or national radio for my constituents. But it is my job to watch out 
for taxpayers' money. According to its website and promotional comments 
made during many of the show's episodes, ``The Infinite Mind'' has been 
made possible, at times, by major underwriting from the National 
Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
  And that is why I am sending out two letters one to the National 
Institutes of Health and another to the National Science Foundation.
  The recently departed director of NIH has already acknowledged that 
they have problems with their policies when it comes to researchers not 
reporting outside income. I commend him for recognizing this fact. I 
also know that the NIH plans on changing its regulations to tighten up 
disclosure requirements.
  But I am not certain about the disclosure requirements when the NIH 
helps to fund a show like ``The Infinite Mind.'' I am going to ask the 
NIH to see if they require ``The Infinite Mind'' to disclose the money 
that drug companies pay to the show's host.
  And I am asking the NSF to explain their policies on financial 
disclosure to see if they might need some changes as well.
  I ask unanimous consent to have my letters to the National Institutes 
of Health and the National Science Foundation printed in the Record. I 
would also like to commend GlaxoSmithKline for their cooperation with 
the Committee and their commitment to transparency. It is greatly 
appreciated.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                      U.S. Senate,


                                         Committee on Finance,

                                Washington, DC, November 19, 2008.
     Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D.,
     Acting Director, National Institutes of Health,
     Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD.
       Dear Acting Director Kington: As a senior member of the 
     United States Senate and the Ranking Member of the Committee 
     on

[[Page S10643]]

     Finance (Committee), I have a duty under the Constitution to 
     conduct oversight into the actions of executive branch 
     agencies, including the activities of the National Institutes 
     of Health (NIH/Agency). In this capacity, I must ensure that 
     NIH properly fulfills its mission to advance the public's 
     welfare and makes responsible use of the public funding 
     provided for medical studies. This research often forms the 
     basis for action taken by the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
       Once again I would like to bring to NIH's attention my 
     concerns about the lack of oversight regarding conflicts of 
     interest relating to the almost $24 billion in annual grants 
     that are distributed by the NIH. I understand that you are 
     now attempting to change the regulations covering the 
     extramural research program to ensure more accountability in 
     financial disclosure. I appreciate your work in this area.
       As you know, institutions receiving an NIH research grant 
     are required to manage the grantee's conflicts of interest. I 
     would like now to let you know that I have discovered another 
     problem with an NIH grantee and a lack of financial 
     transparency.
       In particular, I am concerned about a radio show that 
     discusses psychology and neuroscience called ``The Infinite 
     Mind.'' This show, as I understand it, is independently 
     produced and is distributed to over 300 public radio stations 
     and appears on National Public Radio's (NPR) satellite 
     channel. According to this show's website and promotional 
     comments made during several of the show's episodes, ``The 
     Infinite Mind'' claims to receive major underwriting from the 
     National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of 
     Mental Health.
       The host of the ``The Infinite Mind'' is research professor 
     Dr. Frederick Goodwin. However, I have learned that while 
     hosting this radio program, Dr. Goodwin also received 
     substantial compensation from drug companies. In the fine 
     print of an article he published in the Journal of the 
     American Medical Association in 2003, Dr. Goodwin 
     acknowledged that he ``has served on the speaker's bureaus 
     of Glaxo, Solvay, Janssen, Pfizer, Lilly, AstraZeneca, and 
     Bristol-Myers Squibb; and has served as a consultant for 
     Glaxo, Solvay, Pfizer, Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb Elan, 
     and Novartis.'' For example, over the last seven years, 
     Dr. Goodwin received over $1.3 million in speaking fees 
     and honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for giving over 
     480 talks. I discovered this fact through documents that I 
     received from GSK.
       I have attached a chart detailing the information that GSK 
     supplied to my staff. Many of the payments to Dr. Goodwin 
     were made through a company called Best Practice LLC (BP). 
     Based upon independent research conducted by my staff, it 
     appears that Dr. Goodwin founded BP along with several other 
     scientists in the late nineties. It is my understanding that 
     BP advises pharmaceutical companies.
       As mentioned earlier, when one listens to ``The Infinite 
     Mind'' there is an acknowledgment that NIH money helps to 
     underwrite its production. Accordingly I would appreciate any 
     information that you could provide me regarding financial 
     disclosure requirements applicable to this situation. It 
     seems to me that if the federal government provides financial 
     support for a radio program that is heard by hundreds of 
     thousands of American citizens, then the financial 
     transparency of that show's host is important.
       In light of this, I would appreciate gaining a greater 
     understanding of the NIH grants received by ``The Infinite 
     Mind'' and the applicable NIH policies on financial 
     disclosure. Accordingly, please respond to the following 
     questions and requests for information. For each response, 
     please repeat the enumerated request and follow with the 
     appropriate answer. The time span of this request covers 
     January 2000 to the present.
       (1) Please provide a list of all NIH grants that have 
     supported ``The Infinite Mind.'' For each grant/contract, 
     please provide the following:
       a. Name of grant/contract;
       b. Topic of grant/contract;
       c. Amount of funding for each grant/contract identified;
       d. Amount of funding provided in grant/contract for the 
     host of the show; and
       e. Supporting documents on financial disclosure, pertinent 
     to the grant/contract.
       (2) Please provide a list of all NIH grants, if any, made 
     to Dr. Frederick Goodwin. For each grant, please provide the 
     following:
       a. Name of grant;
       b. Topic/purpose of the grant; and
       c. Amount of funding for each grant identified.
       (3) For each of the above identified grants, please answer 
     the following questions regarding financial disclosure:
       a. Please explain the applicable NIH rules on financial 
     disclosure required for the grant; and
       b. Please confirm if the applicable rules on financial 
     disclosure were followed by the grantee.
       (4) Please provide a list of any other interactions that 
     Dr. Frederick Goodwin has had with the NIH including 
     membership on advisory boards, peer reviewer on grants, or 
     other similar activities.
       (5) Please provide a list of all NIH grants/contract, if 
     any, made to Best Practice LLC. For each grant, please 
     provide the following:
       a. Name of grant/contract;
       b. Topic of grant/contract; and
       c. Amount of funding for each grant/contract identified.
       (6) Please provide a list of all NIH grants that have 
     supported National Public Radio. For each grant, please 
     provide the following:
       a. Name of grant;
       b. Topic of grant; and
       c. Amount of funding for each grant identified.
       (7) For each of the above identified grants/contracts, 
     please answer the following questions regarding financial 
     disclosure:
       a. Please explain the applicable NIH rules on financial 
     disclosure required for each grant/contract; and
       b. Please confirm that applicable rules on financial 
     disclosure were followed by the grantee.
       I request your prompt attention to this matter and your 
     continued cooperation. I would appreciate receiving responses 
     no later than December 3, 2008. If you have any questions, 
     please contact my Committee staff, Paul Thacker. Any formal 
     correspondence should be sent electronically in PDF 
     searchable format to Brian_D[email protected].
           Sincerely,
                                              Charles E. Grassley,
                                                   Ranking Member.

                                GLAXOSMITHKLINE PAYMENTS TO DR. FREDERICK GOODWIN
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Speaker
                Year                          Products                  Topics           honoraria     Expenses
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000................................  Wellbutrin, Lamictal...  Depression: treatment        $14,400       $2,400
                                                                and therapies.
2001................................  Wellbutrin Lamictal      Depression updates on         24,000        3,100
                                       Eskalith.                treatments. Frontiers
                                                                in neuropsychiatry.
2002................................  Eskalith Wellbutrin      Managing depression.          55,500        5,400
                                       Lamictal.                Treatment for bipolar
                                                                disorder and mania.
2003................................  Wellbutrin Eskalith      Depression. Treating         140,800       16,100
                                       Lamictal BP.             mania and bipolar
                                                                disorder. Use of
                                                                Lamotrigine.
2004................................  Lamictal BP............  Bipolar I disorder:          193,500       23,100
                                                                stabilization and
                                                                treatment.
2005................................  Lamictal BP............  Strategies and               304,500       24,900
                                                                therapies for treating
                                                                bipolar I disorder.
2006................................  Lamictal BP............  Managing and treating        223,000       21,400
                                                                bipolar disorder.
                                                                National Speaker
                                                                Series on Lamictal for
                                                                treating bipolar I
                                                                disorder.
2007................................  Lamictal BP............  Treating bipolar and         138,000       18,900
                                                                unipolar depression.
                                                                Managing bipolar I
                                                                disorder.
2008................................  Lamictal Paxil.........  Managing and treating        132,500       1,800
                                                                bipolar disorder.
                                                                National Speaker
                                                                Series: Maintenance
                                                                treatment for bipolar
                                                                I disorder.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $1,226,300 in fees and $117,300 in expenses for over 480 talks.

                                                      U.S. Senate,


                                         Committee on Finance,

                                Washington, DC, November 19, 2008.
     Dr. Arden L. Bement, Jr.
     Director, National Science Foundation, Wilson Boulevard, 
         Arlington, VA.
       Dear Director Bement: As a senior member of the United 
     States Senate and the Ranking Member of the Committee on 
     Finance (Committee), I have a duty under the Constitution to 
     conduct oversight into the actions of executive branch 
     agencies, including the activities of the National Science 
     Foundation (NSF). In this capacity, I must ensure that NSF 
     properly fulfills its mission to advance the public's welfare 
     and makes responsible use of the public funding provided for 
     scientific studies and education. Research and educational 
     programs sponsored by the NSF may influence public opinion 
     and can affect actions taken by the Medicare and Medicaid 
     programs.
       I would like to bring to your attention my concerns about 
     the apparent lack of oversight regarding conflicts of 
     interest relating to the almost $6 billion in annual grants 
     that are distributed by the NSF. As you know, institutions 
     receiving an NSF research grant are required to ``manage'' 
     the grantee's conflicts of interest.
       In particular, I am concerned about a radio show that 
     discusses psychology and neuroscience called ``The Infinite 
     Mind.'' This show, as I understand it, is: independently 
     produced; distributed to over 300 public radio stations; and 
     appears on National Public Radio's (NPR) satellite channel. 
     According to this show's website and promotional comments 
     made during several of the show's episodes, ``The Infinite 
     Mind'' claims to receive major underwriting from the NSF.
       The host of the ``The Infinite Mind'' is research professor 
     Dr. Frederick Goodwin. However, I have learned that while 
     hosting this radio program, Dr. Goodwin also received 
     substantial compensation from drug companies. In the fine 
     print of an article he published in the Journal of the 
     American Medical Association in 2003, Dr. Goodwin 
     acknowledged that he ``has served on the speaker's bureaus of 
     Glaxo, Solvay, Janssen, Pfizer, Lilly, AstraZeneca, and 
     Bristol-Myers Squibb; and has served as a consultant for 
     Glaxo, Solvay, Pfizer, Lilly, Bristol-Myers

[[Page S10644]]

     Squibb Elan, and Novartis.'' For example, over the last seven 
     years, Dr. Goodwin has received over $1.3 million in 
     speaking fees and honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for 
     giving over 480 talks. I discovered this fact through 
     documents that I received from GSK.
       For your review and future reference, I have attached a 
     chart detailing the information that GSK supplied to my 
     staff. Many of the payments to Dr. Goodwin were made through 
     a company called Best Practice LLC (BP). Based upon 
     independent research conducted by my staff, it appears that 
     Dr. Goodwin founded BP along with several other scientists in 
     the late nineties. It is my understanding that BP advises 
     pharmaceutical companies.
       As mentioned earlier, when one listens to ``The Infinite 
     Mind'' there is an acknowledgment that NSF money helps to 
     underwrite its production. Accordingly I would appreciate any 
     information that NSF could provide regarding financial 
     disclosure requirements applicable to this situation. It 
     seems to me that if the federal government provides financial 
     support for a radio program that is heard by hundreds of 
     thousands of American citizens, then the financial 
     transparency of that show's host is important.
       In light of this, I would appreciate gaining a greater 
     understanding of the NSF grants provided to ``The Infinite 
     Mind'' and the applicable NSF policies relating either 
     directly or indirectly to financial disclosure. Accordingly, 
     please respond to the following questions and requests for 
     information. For each response, please repeat the enumerated 
     request followed by the appropriate answer. The time span of 
     this request covers January 2000 to the present.
       (1) Please provide a list of all NSF funds that have 
     supported ``The Infinite Mind.'' For each grant, please 
     provide the following:
       a. Name of grant and/or contract;
       b. Topic of grant/contract; and
       c. Amount of funding for grant/contract;
       d. Amount of funding provided in grant/contract for the 
     host of the show; and
       e. Supporting documents on financial disclosure, pertinent 
     to the grant/contract.
       (2) Please provide a list of all NSF grants, if any, made 
     to Dr. Frederick Goodwin. For each grant, please provide the 
     following:
       a. Name of grant;
       b. Topic/purpose of the grant; and
       c. Amount of funding for the grant.
       (3) For each of the above identified grants, please answer 
     the following questions regarding financial disclosure:
       a. Please explain the applicable NSF rules on financial 
     disclosure required for the grant; and
       b. Please confirm that applicable rules on financial 
     disclosure were followed by the grantee.
       (4) Please provide a list of any other interactions that 
     Dr. Goodwin has had with the NSF including membership on 
     advisory boards, peer review on grants, or the like.
       (5) Please provide a list of all NSF grants that have 
     supported National Public Radio. For each grant, please 
     provide the following:
       a. Name of grant;
       b. Topic of grant; and
       c. Amount of funding for grant.
       (6) For each of the above identified grants/contracts, 
     please answer the following questions regarding financial 
     disclosure:
       a. Please explain the applicable NSF rules on financial 
     disclosure required for the grant/contracts; and
       b. Please confirm that applicable rules on financial 
     disclosure were followed by the grantee.
       In cooperating with the Committee's review, no documents, 
     records, data, or other information related to these matters, 
     either directly or indirectly, shall be destroyed, modified, 
     removed, or otherwise made inaccessible to the Committee.
       I request your prompt attention to this matter. In 
     addition, I would request you provide this information to me 
     no later than December 3, 2008. If you have any questions, 
     please contact my Committee staff, Paul Thacker. Any formal 
     correspondence should be sent electronically in PDF 
     searchable format to Brian_D[email protected].
           Sincerely,
                                              Charles E. Grassley,
                                                   Ranking Member.
       Attachment.

                                GLAXOSMITHKLINE PAYMENTS TO DR. FREDERICK GOODWIN
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Speaker
                Year                          Products                  Topics           Honoraria     Expenses
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000................................  Wellbutrin, Lamictal...  Depression: treatment        $14,400       $2,400
                                                                and therapies.
2001................................  Wellbutrin Lamictal      Depression updates on         24,000        3,100
                                       Eskalith.                treatments. Frontiers
                                                                in neuropsychiatry.
2002................................  Eskalith Wellbutrin      Managing depression.          55,500        5,400
                                       Lamictal.                Treatment for bipolar
                                                                disorder and mania.
2003................................  Wellbutrin Eskalith      Depression. Treating         140,800       16,100
                                       Lamictal BP.             mania and bipolar
                                                                disorder. Use of
                                                                Lamotrigine.
2004................................  Lamictal BP............  Bipolar I disorder:          193,500       23,100
                                                                stabilization and
                                                                treatment.
2005................................  Lamictal BP............  Strategies and               304,500       24,900
                                                                therapies for treating
                                                                bipolar I disorder.
2006................................  Lamictal BP............  Managing and treating        223,000       21,400
                                                                bipolar disorder.
                                                                National Speaker
                                                                Series on Lamictal for
                                                                treating bipolar I
                                                                disorder.
2007................................  Lamictal BP............  Treating bipolar and         138,000       18,900
                                                                unipolar depression.
                                                                Managing bipolar I
                                                                disorder.
2008................................  Lamictal Paxil.........  Managing and treating        132,500        1,800
                                                                bipolar disorder.
                                                                National Speaker
                                                                Series: Maintenance
                                                                treatment for bipolar
                                                                I disorder.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

       Total: $1,226,300 in fees and $117,300 in expenses for over 
     480 talks.

                          ____________________