Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NIH To Investigate Claims That Officials Courted Alcohol Industry To Fund Drinking Study
The New York Times: N.I.H. To Investigate Outreach To Alcohol Companies
The National Institutes of Health will examine whether health officials violated federal policy against soliciting donations when they met with alcohol companies to discuss funding a study of the benefits of moderate drinking, Dr. Francis Collins, the institutes’ director, said on Tuesday. Dr. Collins also will ask outside experts who are part of a standing advisory committee to review the design and scientific methodology of the 10-year government trial, which is already underway, an N.I.H. spokeswoman said. (Rabin, 3/20)
The Washington Post: NIH Will Examine Ethics Of Its Study On The Health Effects Of A Daily Glass Of Wine
The inquiry, announced by NIH Director Francis Collins, responds to a recent New York Times article that said a pair of outside scientists, including one who became the study’s principal investigator, and an NIH official asked liquor companies that stand to benefit from the research to help pay for it. The Times story, relying in part on emails and travel vouchers obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, said the scientists “pitched” the idea of the study at meetings in three cities with beverage-industry executives and an industry trade group in 2013 and 2014. (Goldstein, 3/20)
