U.S. Watchdog Halts Studies at N.Y. Psychiatric Center After a Subject’s Suicide

August 11, 2023

(New York Times) – It is unusual for the U.S. regulatory office to suspend research, and this suggests that investigators are concerned that potential violations of safety protocols occurred more broadly within the institute. Almost 500 studies, with combined budgets totaling $86 million, are underway at the institute, according to its website.

The inquiry followed the death by suicide of a person enrolled in a study led by Dr. Bret R. Rutherford, an associate professor of psychiatry at Columbia University who was testing a drug for Parkinson’s disease, levodopa, as a treatment for depression and reduced mobility in older people. (Read More)