There’s trouble in Cambridge: the Times reports that three Harvard medical researchers have been subpoenaed as part of a Congressional inquiry into unethical ties between medical professionals and the drug industry — specifically, whether antidepressants were improperly marketed. (The commercials are just so convincing!) The report says of Dr. Joseph Biederman, Dr. Thomas Spencer, and Dr. Timothy E. Wilens:

The three researchers have advocated increased use of antipsychotic medicines in children and have accepted lucrative consulting agreements from the drugs’ makers. Senator Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican investigating conflicts of interest in medicine, found that each of the researchers had failed to report much of his consulting income to Harvard. Mr. Grassley has also said that Dr. Biederman and Dr. Wilens might have violated federal and university research rules.

They probably just took consulting money because they were so sure prescribing these meds to kids was a good plan! But, were we in their shoes (and our shoes are significantly less expensive), we’d be less worried about court and more worried about violating the Harvard rules. After all, the planned Medical School expansion in Allston is falling apart at the seams and, you know, they don’t need any more bad press.

From: Aleksey Vayner <aleksey.vayner@gmail.com>
To: ivygate@gmail.com, ron706@aol.com
Date: Oct 9, 2006 12:04 AM
Subject: Cease and Disist Notification

Dear editor, writer, owner of IvyGateBlog,

It has been brought to my attention that you have made an unauthorized use of my video, my photographs, have made public disclosure of private facts, and have slandered me in your articles on IvyGateBlog.com. I have reserved all rights to the video you have uploaded onto YouTube.com, and have made available on your site. I have also reserved all rights to the photos you have used in your articles about me. Furthermore, you have made an illegal public disclosure of private facts by posting my cover letter, resume, and my article on hedge fund selling beta as alpha, online on ivygateblog.com. Finally you have extensively slandered me in your articles.

As you neither asked for nor received permission to use copyrighted video and photographs for your articles, you have willfully infringed my rights. You have also illegally made my private information public.

I demand that you immediately cease and desist. You must remove the illegal copy of my video from your youtube.com account and any other site, cease any use and the distribution of my property and information, remove my private information that are my cover letter, resume, and the research paper on “hedge funds selling alpha as beta,” the use and distribution of all infringing works derived from the materials mentioned above. I ask that you destroy such copies immediately, and that you desist from this or any other infringement of my rights in the future. Kindly provide proof within 10 days that you have complied with my request dated October 8th 2006.

Very truly yours,

Aleksey Vayner

p.s. Due effort has been made to obtain your company’s physical contact information. If you kindly provide me with a physical address, a copy of this notification will be sent to you by registered mail.