Ethics and Unintended Consequences

Re “NIH to Ban Deals With Drug Firms,” Feb. 1: Although revisiting the concerns about potential ethical conflict caused by allowing NIH’s resident scientists to accept outside income from for-profit entities is laudable and long overdue, the absolute forbidding of consulting work may activate the law of unintended consequences.

The NIH, the premier biomedical research organization in the world, has some of the most knowledgeable and productive scientists in specific areas of basic research that lead to improvements for all of us. As governmental employees, they accept remuneration far below that which can be achieved in the private sector. They have children and retirement concerns as well.

Private industry may now begin to pick off the best and brightest with promises of fully funded laboratories and excellent compensation. The problem will be that their research will be targeted to produce products and not the basic research that leads to fundamental breakthroughs. Humanity loses.

Irving Kent Loh MD

Thousand Oaks

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Reporter David Willman and The Times are entitled to pat yourselves on the back. It affirms that light does kill pathogens.

Gerald M. Sutliff

Castro Valley, Calif.