Top Alzheimer's researcher charged with felony criminal conduct for secret financial ties to Pfizer: NewsTarget.com

A top researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was charged Monday with criminal violation of federal conflict-of-interest laws by failing to disclose financial links with drug giant Pfizer, prosecutors said.

Pearson "Trey" Sunderland III, former chief of the Geriatric Psychiatry Branch of the NIH, was charged with one misdemeanor count for accepting $285,000 in undisclosed consulting fees from Pfizer. Sunderland -- who faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine -- has waived the grand jury indictment process, indicating he may consent to a plea agreement.

Prosecutors have charged Sunderland with failing to list the payments from Pfizer, which were made between 1997 and 2004. During NIH studies with Pfizer and another company in 1998 to find indicators of Alzheimer's disease in government-provided samples of cerebrospinal fluid, Sunderland allegedly agreed to accept $25,000 per year in consulting fees, as well as a $2,500 fee for attending one-day meetings with the company.

The conclusion of this article appears on NewsTarget.com, the independent natural health news source for consumers. This article, along with other uncensored news on important consumer health topics, can be found at:

Top Alzheimer's researcher charged with felony criminal conduct for secret financial ties to Pfizer

http://www.newstarget.com/021255.html

About NewsTarget

Read by over 500,000 unique readers monthly, NewsTarget is a progressive, independent natural health news site that teaches consumers how to improve their health through foods, herbs, exercise and natural therapies. The site also warns consumers about the dangers of processed foods, pharmaceuticals, chemotherapy, environmental toxins and the failure of government regulators like the FDA.