An item in NATURENEWS for Jan.23 describes the outcome of a review by the Inspector General of HHS on NIH practices in managing conflict of interest on the part of its external grantees. They, ah, pretty much take your word for it. If you say, no conflict, that’s fine. The IG wants NIH to get tougher, but the institute balks, claiming they would be responsible for audit and overview, which duties properly belong to the grantees’ institutions. Readers should also consider the views contained in an interesting comment appended to the original, rather brief, story. Can things be that bad?
NIH COI