HHS finalizes rule on medical research and confilcts of interest

The guidance, which is designed to help scientists avoid financial conflicts when conducting government-funded research, will take effect Aug. 24, 2012.

The Washington Post: NIH Finalizes Financial Conflict Of Interest Rules
The National Institutes of Health has finalized rules to reduce financial conflicts of interests among federally funded researchers who also receive payments or stock from drug and medical device companies. The rules, which will affect more than 40,000 researchers, come after a string of high profile cases in which federally funded researchers failed to disclose millions of dollars from companies with a financial interest in the outcome of their work (Vastag, 8/23).

Modern Healthcare: HHS Issues Updated Final Rule On Research, Conflicts Of Interest
HHS issued an updated final rule aimed at "providing a framework for identifying, managing and ultimately avoiding" financial conflicts of interest among scientists conducting government-funded research. "The medical research conducted and funded by the federal government has long been the gold standard of scientific investigation," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a news release. "Our financial conflict-of-interest rules must keep up with the times if we are to maintain our leadership role in the global scientific community." The rule applies to any institution applying for or receiving an HHS public health service grant and it goes into effect Aug. 24, 2012 (Robeznieks, 8/23).