U of M responds to Grassley probe

The University of Minnesota says a university surgery professor who received more than $1 million in consulting fees from Medtronic did not break the school's conflict of interest policy.

The University of Minnesota sent a letter to Sen. Charles Grassley responding to the Iowa Republican's concerns over the actions of the University's Dr. David Polly.

Grassley recently criticized Polly for failing to disclose payments he received from Medtronic, more than $1 million over four years, while requesting Congress fund research done by the medical device maker.

In the letter, the University's general counsel says Polly properly disclosed any conflicts of interest under the U's policy, but that the school is reviewing the situation further.

Last week Dr. Polly resigned from the board of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons saying the attention being paid to his consulting work was distracting from the organization's work.

Polly has said he didn't disclose his work with Medtronic before he testified to Congress because there wasn't a venue to do so.

The U of M medical school is currently rewriting its conflict of interest policy. Medical school officials say their draft of the new rules is essentially done, and they're waiting for the wider University community to weigh in on the document.

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