AIDS panel gets money from agency in probe

[Newsjock]

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/weird_news/11147136.htm

JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Six of the nine scientists serving on an expert medical panel investigating a U.S.-funded AIDS study are receiving grant money from the agency at the center of the probe, according to documents and interviews.

The Institute of Medicine said it was aware of the financial ties but approved the members' participation because they have special expertise, receive only a minority of their overall dollars from the National Institutes of Health and won their grants competitively.

The six panel members are receiving from $120,000 to nearly $2 million a year from the NIH, according to agency records and interviews by The Associated Press.

The Institute of Medicine, the nation's health adviser, believes the panel's ultimate conclusions about the NIH's AIDS study in Africa will not affect the members' NIH money, and thus there is no conflict of interest, spokeswoman Christine Stencel said.

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