Weinberg Group

The Weinberg Group is a Washington, DC-based consulting group, specializing in "international scientific and regulatory consulting" and "help [ing] companies protect their product at every stage of its life." Founded in 1983, the firm assists pharmaceutical, pesticide, and chemical companies in regulatory affairs, litigation, and media work. [http://www.weinberggroup.com/ Weinberg Group Homepage] , Accessed March 19, 2008.] The company's role in generating doubt about research examining the health effects of Bisphenol A is currently being investigated by the U.S. Congress, as are statements that allegedly appeared on the firm's website claiming that it successfully kept on sale, for 10 years, a drug that was eventually cancelled as harmful. [ [http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4428347 Science for Sale Probe Deepens] , Justin Rood, ABC News, MArch 11, 2008.]

Congressional Investigation

In February 2008, ABC News reported that the U.S. Congress was investigating the Weinberg Group. Representative John Dingell said, "The tactics apparently employed by the Weinberg Group raise serious questions about whether science is for sale at these consulting groups, and the effect this faulty science might have on the public health."] Myron Weinberg is listed in a Philip Morris grants and projects budget as being paid $50,000 U.S.D. in 1995 alone for "Consulting Related to ETS Projects." [ [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/yfm19c00 Legacy Tobacco Documents Library: EXHIBIT E RESEARCH (GRANTS & PROJECTS 45... (yfm19c00) ] ] Philip Morris budgeted $250,000 for the Weinberg Group for Feb-Dec 1998 to organize a risk management conference and help develop and publicize a body of academic literature on risk management that would be favorable to the industry. [ [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jcu18d00 Legacy Tobacco Documents Library: TECHNICAL PROJECT / AVTIVITY SUMMARY (jcu18d00) ] ]

The Weinberg Group also assisted the tobacco industry's law firm, Covington & Burling, with implementing a multinational Environmental Tobacco Smoke scientific witness program (also known as the "Whitecoat Project.") The Project was an effort by the industry to clandestinely find, recruit, and train third party scientists to act as credible, disinterested third parties who would speak, write, and testify in the industry's favor on the subject of secondhand smoke without disclosing ties to the tobacco industry.

A Philip Morris internal document dated 1989 and titled "Tobacco Institute Consultants on Environmental Tobacco Smoke-Status Report" describes the Weinberg Group as a "witness search firm," and describes their role in the ETS project. It says the tobacco industry "used [the Weinberg Group] 4-5 years ago in initial effort to identify scientists on ETS" and that they "found 8-9 scientists, many of which have since fallen by the wayside...Today even more resistance among scientific community to working with the industry." The Weinberg Group at that time provided Covington & Burling (C&B) with the names of 33 potential scientists to recruit into the project. C&B "reviewed their resumes and bibliographies, and ensured that the selected scientists held no negative [to the industry] views on ETS, that their position on primary [smoking] is that it is no more than a 'risk factor,' and that they are not retained by other companies as potential court witnesses." [ [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/cjk49e00 Legacy Tobacco Documents Library: (cjk49e00) ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.weinberggroup.com Weinberg Group Website]
* [http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110-ltr.020608.Weinberg.BPA.pdf Letter from Rep. Dingell to the Weinberg Group]