OT"Univ. Researcher Rec'd M From Medtronic" | Arthritis Information
million.
From FiercePharma:
http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/university-researcher-receives-19-million-medtronic/2009-01-16?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FP0
I saw the headline for this story, another incident of conflict of interest in medicine investigated by Iowa's Republican Senator Chuck Grassley's congressional committee.
Here's an excerpt from the WALL STREET JOURNAL's article:
A prominent spine surgeon and researcher at the University of Wisconsin received million in payment over five years from
Medtronic
Inc., one of the country's largest makers of spinal devices, according
to a senator who is investigating potential conflicts of interest in
medicine.
The surgeon, Thomas Zdeblick, received the payments while helping
Medtronic develop and promote a number of spinal products. Medtronic's
million in payments to Dr. Zdeblick from 2003 to 2007 went
"greatly" beyond what was evident in disclosures he made to the
university, Sen. Charles Grassley said in a Jan. 12 letter to Kevin P.
Reilly, the school's president. The University of Wisconsin, like other
academic centers that conduct federal research, is required by the
government to monitor its researchers' financial conflicts.
In each of the five years cited in the letter, Dr. Zdeblick told the
university that he received ,000 or more from Medtronic, and in one
year, he reported getting ,000 or more. The disclosures conform to
school policies, which currently don't require researchers to specify
amounts received above ,000.
The report of multimillion-dollar payments to Dr. Zdeblick comes amid a
growing movement for more detailed disclosure of the financial ties
between doctors and outside interests. Most public disclosures of
relationships between doctors and companies rarely specify how much a
physician is being paid. When amounts are disclosed, they are often
revealed in a fashion similar to that of Wisconsin's policy in which a
threshold amount is used, such as a doctor earning more than ,000,
with no other details reported . . . .
. . . . In some lawsuits, Medtronic has been accused by former employees and
the government of inducing surgeons to use its spine products with
payments for sham consulting agreements and lavish travel. In 2006,
Medtronic agreed to pay million to the government to settle civil
allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors, including sham
consulting and sham royalty agreements as well as lavish trips. Those
allegations were initially made in two lawsuits brought by former
Medtronic employees, including a former legal counsel. As part of the
settlement, the employee lawsuits were dismissed. While agreeing to the
settlement, Medtronic denied any wrongdoing.
For complete article see:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123206035479087601.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
There should be full disclosure of all monies received from medical device makers by physicians. The public needs to be aware of a conflict of interest -- if the device a doctor promotes/recommends, is from a company he is receiving money from -- in this case, the physician in question received million -- not chump change.
Nothing surprises me any more in the medical/research/scientific area.I wonder if this is on the list of 'bad body parts'.
Pip
I am happy to report that there is no way this could have happened, because if it is true some people will be uncomfortable with the ramifications. Therefore, undue influence, bribery, and corruption do not exist.Really??? Maybe I want to live in that world!
Pip
Pip, all you have to do is develop your Denialsim.LOL
Hmmm, so Dr. Zdeblick, physician and university researcher, received million from medical device maker, Medtronic, for helping Medtronic develop and promote their spinal product, and didn't fully disclose it (though in compliance w/current university reporting).
Medtronic paid million to settle civil lawsuits that it paid kickbacks to doctors, "including sham consulting and sham royalty agreements . . . " Allegations were made by former Medtronic employees.
(Keep in mind that Medtronic, is a manufacturer of several types of medical devices, including stents, defibillators, pacemakers.)
Recently, FDA scientists alleged that agency managers used intimidation to squelch scientific debate, leading to the approval of medical devices whose effectiveness is questionable and which may not be entirely safe.
A few days after that, a US Government Accountability Office reported, that the FDA had approved 228 medical devices, from certain hip joints to a type of defibrillator, without a full scale scientific review. Some devices approved under the less rigorous process have been recalled because of malfunctions and other problems.
In 2008, the Supreme Court held, in Riegel v. Medtronic, that federal law bars lawsuits "challenging the safety or effectiveness of a medical devIce," as long as the device is marketed in a form that received premarket approval from the FDA.
Anyone see a problem here?
Joie, just business as usual in the medical/scientific/scientific world of making a buck no matter what the consequences - to the patient or your breaking of the law! You do understand these people know they are above us little people, right?
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