Documents Show that Psychiatrist Promised Favorable Results for Drug Company

Carrie Strasser

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Dr. Joseph Biederman, a prominent child psychiatrist at Harvard University, promised the drug company Johnson & Johnson that certain studies of its medicines in children would yield positive results for the company, reported the New York Times on Friday. Documents outlining these interactions between Dr. Biederman and Johnson & Johnson came to light as a result of the multistate litigation regarding the improper marketing of antipsychotic drugs. The New Jersey Superior Court Judge overseeing the multistate litigation ordered that Dr. Biederman be deposed and as a part of that process, Biederman released certain documents to his lawyers about his interactions with Johnson & Johnson.

Dr. Biederman is a staunch advocate of diagnosing bipolar disorder in young children and using antipsychotic drugs to treat this disease. However, much of his work has been funded by drug companies for whom he does private consulting.

An inquiry by Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, revealed last year that Dr. Biederman earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drug makers from 2000 to 2007 but failed to report all but $200,000 of this income to university officials.

Dr. Biederman is currently being investigated by both Harvard and the National Institutes of Health to determine whether the psychiatrist violated federal and university research rules.

In a number of the documents provided by Dr. Biederman, he promised a positive outcome in his research studies for Johnson & Johnson drugs such as Risperdal and Concerta.