But did the Celebrex Guys Train There?

The Yale Herald reports on the completion of the Pfizer building in New Haven, where it is setting up shop to do an incredible amount of clinical research. Bob Levine and Samuel Gorovitz are quoted. The relationship with Yale promises to be, um, interesting:

THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OVERLOOKS the Yale Medical School, a neighbor which Pfizer is glad to have. In fact, the Medical School proved a tipping point in Pfizer's decision to build its new unit in New Haven.

Dr. Robert Alpern, Dean of the Medical School, expressed enthusiasm over collaborations between the institutions. "We're extremely excited about the opening of the unit in New Haven," he said. "Pfizer has a lot of talent, skills, and resources that Yale doesn't have, and vice versa, so we think we're actually in a position to help each other a lot" ...

And also, well, there are lots of really poor people in New Haven with not much to do, which prompts all sorts of interesting criticism

When Pfizer announced its plans in 2003, the initial reaction from the people of New Haven was mixed. The New Haven Advocate featured an article on its front cover, headlined, "Guinea Pig City." Written by Paul Bass, the article accused Pfizer of exploiting the inner city population of New Haven by offering volunteers high prices to take experimental drugs. Bass proposes that Pfizer allow community input on its ethical review boards.

Levine is point-blank about the risks of this cozy relationship: "'What if Pfizer says we want certain sorts of research done here? Are the review committees at Yale going to be intimidated? These people have already given us a $35 million building plus the funding, so we better do what they want,' said Levine. 'Even to a university with Yale's endowment, that's a pretty attractive thing.'"

Next: The Philip Morris Center for Neuroethics

A Yale psychiatrist reports that nicotine receptors are also targets for anti-depressants, resulting in one study in faster action by antidepressants in people who also smoke.

Juv Diabetes Res Foundation Celebrates Bush Signing of Islet Cell Transplant Act of 2004

From their office:

The JDRF Government Relations team is very pleased to announce the Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004 was signed into law by President Bush on October 25, 2004. This important piece of legislation passed through both houses of Congress and reached the President's desk thanks in no small part to the hard work of JDRF advocates across the country. Your efforts to educate members of Congress on the promise of islet cell transplantation and ask for their support were crucial in ensuring the bill's success. The Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004 will increase the supply of pancreata for islet transplantation and improve the coordination of federal efforts and information regarding islet cell transplantation. The recent progress made with islet cell transplantation is featured in the current Winter 2004 issue of JDRF's Countdown magazine. Thank you for all the calls and visits made, and letters and emails sent in support of the Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004. Once again, the efforts of JDRF advocates have translated into tangible results for the more than 1 million Americans living with Type 1 diabetes.

Wilmut the Clinical Researcher

Ian Wilmut has applied to HFEA for a permit to investigate potential cell therapeutics for ALS, using human embryonic cells produced through cloning. The news announcements, even this one come from a short news conference so little is really known. Wilmut's presence in this area at this time could scarcely be more volatile for the US election-year debate about "who will get ahead" in hES research under US restrictions.