UW System President Kevin Reilly and UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin responded to an Iowa senator Monday about conflict-of-interest policies at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
Sen. George Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote to university officials Jan. 12, citing his distress over rules for conflict of interest among physicians.
In the letter, Martin and Reilly mentioned the controversy over Dr. Thomas Zdeblick receiving over $19 million in royalties from Medtronic, a medical-device company based in Minneapolis, Minn.
The administrators said several changes are being made to address the concerns of both Sen. Grassley and Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin.
According to Martin and Reilly, Zdeblick did not break any university rules while inventing the new medical technology, stating, he has been operating under the terms of a management plan developed by the Conflict of Interest Committee, also consistent with University policy.""
Kohl and Grassley established the Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009 Jan. 22. If passed, the act would require manufacturers to report payments to physicians.
