Pharmalot

Grassley Probes Psychiatrists Over Ties To Pharma

By Ed Silverman
July 11th, 2008

The investigation by the Senate Finance Committee, where Chuck
Grassley is the ranking Republican, into the ties between drugmakers
and medicine is expanding. After targeting grants issued to academic
psychiatrists, Grassley now wants the American Psychiatric Association
to open its books for a look-see at pharma funding.

Psychiatrists, of course, prescribe antidepressants and
antipsychotics, both of which have stirred controversy. And
psychiatrists have frequently shown up at the top of lists of doctors
receiving pharma money. This week, for instance, Vermont's Attorney
General released its annual report showing that, of the top 100
recipients, psychiatrists received the highest level of payments, and
11 psychiatrists received a total of about $626,000, or approximately
20 percent of the total value of payments. The average amount received
by psychiatrists was nearly $57,000.