Human Research Trials in NY Suspended After Suicide in Parkinson's Study
The New York State Psychiatric Institute has suspended all of its human research trials following the suicide of a participant in a Parkinson's drug study. The US Department of Health and Human Services is investigating whether safety protocols were violated. The study, led by Dr. Bret R. Rutherford, was testing the use of levodopa as a treatment for depression in older individuals. The institute had nearly 500 studies underway with budgets totaling $86 million before the suspension. Rutherford resigned from his position and three medical journals have retracted studies from his laboratory due to methodological errors.