NIH researcher "paid $517,000" by Pfizer

A researcher at the US National Institutes of Health who was alleged in 2003 to have been paid $517,000 in consulting fees, honoraria and expense reimbursements over a five-year period, by global drugs behemoth Pfizer, without the NIH being informed, is now accused of having "sold" more than 3,200 samples of spinal fluid and 388 tubes of plasma collected for Alzheimer's disease research for $285,000 out of the total sums received.

Trey Sunderland, head of the geriatric psychiatry section at the NIH, invoked the right to silence to refuse to answer questions at a hearing of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee. Investigations suggest that the NIH's records on whether the sample transfers were authorized or not were inadequate. National Institute for Mental Health (part of the NIH) director Thomas Insel admitted that the agency would "very seriously" consider installing a central database to ensure proper tracking of tissue samples.

Dr Sunderland, responding via his attorney, maintains that he did not violate NIH rules at the time and that he offered to resign from the agency in November 2004, but was prevented from doing so by his contractual arrangements: he is a member of the US Public Health Commissioned Corps. Dr Insel claims that he does not have the authority to dismiss Dr Sunderland for the same reason.