National Institutes of Health (NIH) extended the comment period on proposed conflict-of-interest rules for researchers to 19 August 2010. The extended period on the new rules, officially known as “Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which PHS Funding is Sought and Responsible Prospective Contractors,” seeks comments on specific topics that arose since publication of the first notice on 21 May. PHS refers to the Public Health Service of which NIH is a part, and in this case acts on its behalf.
The 21 May announcement published the proposed regulations, which aim to overhaul and update researchers’ conflict-of-interest rules — in place since 1995 — to deal with greater complexity and provide for more transparency. That notice set the original comment deadline as 20 July 2010. Today’s announcement extends the deadline for 30 days.
A concern driving the updated rules is the increasing collaborations among academic, government, and private-sector investigators. The draft rules cited surveys showing interactions between individual academic researchers and industry increasing from 28 percent in 1996 to 53 percent in 2007. Another concern is the size of the industry’s support for research. The document notes that in 2003, some 57 percent of biomedical research funding came from industry sources.
NIH added the time to get comments on proposed references to enforcement authorities in the rules, and cases where either the investigator transfers to a new institution, or when a new institution or investigators become involved in an already-funded project.
Hat tip: Science Insider
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