"Conflict of interest" NIH scientist charged

18 December 2006

Trey Sunderland, a scientist at the US National Institutes of Health, has been charged by federal prosecutors with violating federal regulations concerning conflict of interest. The case relates to an alleged payment of $285,000 in consulting fees from global drug giant Pfizer, in exchange for more than 3,200 samples of spinal fluid and 388 tubes of plasma that were collected for research into Alzheimer's disease (Marketletters June 26 and September 18).

According to the Washington Post newspaper, the wording of the announcement by the US Department of Justice in a "criminal information" document implies that a plea bargain could be imminent. Dr Sunderland faces a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, according to prosecutors, for the offense which is categorized as a "misdemeanor."

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