The US Department of Health and Human Services has halted research studies involving human subjects at a psychiatric institute affiliated with Columbia University following the suicide of a research participant, as indicated by research records.
A representative from HHS informed CNN on Thursday that the agency’s Office for Human Research Protections is currently investigating the psychiatric institute and has imposed limitations on its capacity to conduct HHS-supported research involving human subjects.
“The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) is dedicated to safeguarding the rights, well-being, and welfare of individuals participating in research conducted by or supported by HHS. OHRP takes the protection of research study volunteers very seriously and has established procedures to ensure the implementation of these safeguards,” stated the HHS spokesperson in communication with CNN.
The New York State Psychiatric Institute, affiliated with Columbia University, voluntarily suspended all research studies involving human subjects in early June.
The investigation was initiated following reports of a participant in a study evaluating a Parkinson’s drug for late-life depression who died by suicide while enrolled in the study, according to documentation maintained by the US National Library of Medicine. The patient was part of a cohort receiving a placebo rather than the medication, according to research records.
When questioned about the reported suicide of the patient, the psychiatric institute explained that it is unable to “disclose specific details about any individual involved in a research study.”
Dr. Bret R. Rutherford, who was an associate professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, led the study. The research received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and has amassed around $15 million in funding from NIMH since 2010, according to the US National Institutes of Health database.
As per the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Rutherford resigned from his role there, effective June 1, and is no longer affiliated with Columbia University. CNN has made efforts to reach out to Rutherford for commentary.
Documents on clinicaltrials.gov reveal that Rutherford commenced testing the central nervous system drug Levodopa as a potential medical treatment for late-life depression in 2018.
