HHS to Reinvestigate NIH Conflict-of-Interest Cases

After pressure from Congress, federal investigators will reopen 103 cases of potential conflicts of interest among NIH employees, according to HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson.

The Office of Inspector General and the Special Investigations Unit at HHS are changing how they review ethics cases at the NIH, Levinson wrote in a letter to Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), the ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The need to reopen the cases shows that HHS did not adequately investigate them, Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) said. "Even if only a few of these cases result in criminal prosecution, it is clear that the NIH bungled the investigation the first time around," he added.

In 2003, the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations found the NIH had failed to provide it with information disclosing that 81 NIH scientists had contracts with drug companies. The NIH discovered 22 cases of potential conflicts of interest later.