NIH Department of Transfusion Medicine Director Harvey G. Klein

This is the LA Times major story about what, if it is true, constitutes a significant conflict of interest for an NIH administrator, namely Harvey Klein:

Confidential income disclosure documents that the NIH recently surrendered to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and other records examined by the Los Angeles Times show that from 1999 to this year Klein received $240,200 in consulting fees and 76,000 stock options from five blood products companies. Klein acknowledged in written responses for this article that several other firms also had paid him fees; he said that he properly reported the compensation to the NIH.

While taking industry's money and also working for the government, Klein helped shape policies and practices that directly affected his industry clients and patients. He participated as an expert at dozens of federal meetings that focused on uses of new blood- related products but did not publicly acknowledge his role as a paid consultant to any company, records show. Other experts did so voluntarily.

Klein also wrote an article for a major medical journal whose editors now say they would not have published if they had known about his company ties.

Editorial ethics groups including the Council of Science Editors' and the World Association of Medical Editors (on both of which I serve) have just ramped up deliberations on this sort of conflicts of interest, but never did any of us imagine that the disclosure of information regarding conflict of interest within the NIH would reach this far or go this high. It seems likely an audit of publications by NIH scientists will be forthcoming. - GM