Physicians Committee Highlights Citizen Complaint Raising Questions About Research Integrity at OHSU

Complaint Calls for Review of Drug Company Ties to Monkey Research at OHSU

PORTLAND, Ore., May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is calling attention to a citizen complaint filed with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Integrity Office that alleges concerning research practices involving OHSU, its primate experimentation center, and its relationship with a pharmaceutical company attempting to market an unproven drug. The complaint calls for an investigation into OHSU's association with CytoDyn and the investigational drug leronlimab, citing issues with research standards, financial relationships, and disclosure practices.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a medical ethics nonprofit organization, is highlighting the complaint in light of its longstanding advocacy work to end primate experiments at OHSU. The organization has previously called for the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) to stop experimenting on primates and shift instead to research methods that more reliably translate to human health outcomes and has supported a recent OHSU Board resolution to explore transitioning the ONPRC to a sanctuary model.

"The primate center has been criticized for killing baby monkeys, dosing pregnant monkeys with alcohol and drugs, and failing to use better scientific methods," said Janine McCarthy, MPH, director of research policy at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. "This complaint raises a whole new set of concerns, related to questionable financial relationships."

"The fact that the former CytoDyn CEO who was sentenced to prison for fraud is a co-author on a half-dozen research OHSU publications raises obvious questions," said Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. "Enough is enough."

The complaint, filed by an Oregon resident on April 30, requests an investigation into OHSU's primate experiments using CytoDyn's investigational drug. Publicly available federal records indicate CytoDyn and its former leadership have faced legal actions related to misleading statements made to investors about the progress of developing a treatment for HIV.

The Physicians Committee supports this request for a review of OHSU's past and ongoing relationship with CytoDyn, in the interest of transparency and research integrity.

To speak with Dr. Barnard or Ms. McCarthy, please contact Reina Pohl at 202-527-7326 or [email protected]. 

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.

SOURCE Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine