October 25,2010

Grassley Asks FDA about Medical Device Company Payments to Doctors in Clinical Studies

WASHINGTON – On Friday, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa asked the Food and Drug Administration how the agency handles reports of medical device companies' payments to doctors who are participating in clinical studies of the companies' products.

Grassley wrote to the FDA commissioner, citing information that doctors participating in clinical trials sponsored by a particular medical device maker also received significant payments from that device maker.

“The FDA should be transparent and describe what it does with information about potential conflicts of interest, including any steps it takes to protect the integrity and reliability of clinical research,” Grassley said.