COI changes at NIH?

The National Institutes of Health is suggesting reducing the minimum financial conflict of interest that must be disclosed, among other changes to its conflict policy, the agency announced this morning at a teleconference. Image: Wikimedia commons, King of HeartsIf the changes are accepted, the minimum financial conflict that must be reported to the agency will be lowered from $10,000 to $5,000. "Clearly the way in which science is moving forward, in order to be successful, partnerships betwee

Written byJef Akst

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King of Hearts

If the changes are accepted, the minimum financial conflict that must be reported to the agency will be lowered from $10,000 to $5,000. "Clearly the way in which science is moving forward, in order to be successful, partnerships between NIH-funded researchers in industry are essential," said NIH director Francis Collins. "We believe that it is essential to tighten up this situation to be sure we are obtaining and maintaining the public trust and the integrity of the scientific enterprise." Other proposed changes include making the institution responsible for recognizing and reporting conflicts of interest, as opposed to the investigator. In addition, institutions would be required to develop a publicly accessible website to report significant financial conflicts of interest among the faculty. The proposed changes will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow (May 21), and will be open for public comment for 60 days before the changes are finalized.
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:FDA floats new conflict policy;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57373/
[22nd April 2010]*linkurl:Med journals adopt disclosure rules;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/56057/
[14th October 2009]*linkurl:Conflicts of interest at Federal agencies;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/24056/
[24th July 2006]

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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