In May 2004, under pressure from lawmakers, NIH agreed to commission an Institute of Medicine (IOM) investigation of HIVNET 012. The Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academies of Sciences, is ostensibly Congress’s independent and trustworthy advisor on scientific issues. IOM regularly assembles panels of top scientists to oversee and review agency science. The presumption is that while regulated industries easily capture and compromise federal agencies, the Institute of Medicine is incorruptible. IOM members do not work for either industry or the government. Congress expects to
...more
