Pfizer are to stop direct support for CME courses offered by for-profit medical education and communication companies, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal health blog. The aim is to avoid the appearance of any conflicts of interest. The company will continue to support not for profit courses.
Although the report does not clarify whether this decision relates to Pfizer's US or global operations, recent developments would suggest it only relates to the US.
The announcement further illustrates the growing gap between action in the US on conflict of interest issues in the pharmaceutical sector and the lack of action in the EU.
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Pfizer to stop funding some medical education
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Disclosure,
Europe,
promotion to doctors,
United States
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Pharmacetucal corporations are not educators. They are profiters. Somehow the two are gradually becoming synonymous (Bayh-Dole Act of 1980):
Published on www.discoverwhatyouthink.blogspot.com
Crime and Punishment: Enough for Corporate Wrongdoing?
Corporate crime should not be a new concept to most people- especially with scandals revealed with large corporations at the beginning of this decade that was the catalyst upon coercion of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
However, it may have evolved into more troubling ways- not only in regards to its severity, but the methods of deterrence now being implemented against corporations busted by our government- particularly those corporations involved in the health care industry in particular. So it may be becoming progressively worse for U.S. citizens as a result, as it is in fact our money being robbed.
Rather than speak of all corporations, what will be discussed is government health care fraud. Fraud basically is deception with the potential to harm others. In the case of pharma companies, this may include improper promotion and marketing of medications or education- meaning that such tactics are or may be deceptive misconduct that may be illegal, yet remains unregulated. In addition, there are the crimes of kickbacks and lesser crimes of misbranding products- all of which are done often by big pharma corporations in particular. Probably more methods of wrongdoing as well do in fact exist and happen- but so far it is hearsay. Yet the point is that drug companies should not engage in such wrongdoing to enrich their faceless existence with profiting off those who are ill in such overt and illegal ways.
Biggest fines so far of all time included these pharmaceutical corporations- all involved in the health care system that we as citizens depend on for our well being:
Hospitals, for example, were NME in 1994 for keeping patients in their hospital against their will or medical reasons, among other things. They changed their name to Tenet Healthcare soon afterwards. The big one is HCA healthcare for billing the government for work never done, among other things (This HCA Healthcare is amazingly or has been owned by Senator Bill Frist’s family, and somehow I’m not shocked in any way). HCA was fined twice actually, in 2000 and 2003, that totaled well over a billion dollars. If controlled humiliation and settlements are not effective deterrents, than why are they still the punishment? HCA proves this point. Schering-Plough has proven this as well in 2004 and 2007. Sequels typically take about three years .
Speaking of corporate pharma, there was Tap in 2001, Serono in 2005, Pfizer in 2004, Abbott in 2003, and GSK in 1997, AstraZeneca in 2003, as well as Bayer this year and a few years ago as well- all for fraud against our government and us, the taxpayers. There are many more settlements aside from these with other aspects of healthcare unrelated to pharmaceuticals at times, such as hospitals and home health care companies, but these top the list from the aspect of monetary penalty. Check out www.taf.org for more listings.
Kidney dialysis clinic Fresenius paid a settlement in 2000 for faking medical claims was a big one in recent times. The irony is that a developer of the dialysis process, Belding Scribner, I understand never patented his invention in hopes of greater use of this device that has saved so many lives. Gambro may be on the list as well.
Profit should not, yet does interfere with our health care, and has for decades in a progressive manner..
Just how then is this criminal behavior discovered with these unregulated corporate crimes? Typically by whistleblowers who worked for the described big pharma or medical company, and such people are rare for a number of reasons, considering their bravery and isolation I understand they experience after exposing such wrongdoing, as they just knew. The whistleblower then seeks legal agents and files what is called a qui tam false claims act with a district attorney’s office (Boston or Philadelphia, if you want prosecutors to take you seriously). After the case is filed, the whistleblower verbally acknowledges the charges and evidence to the chosen prosecutors and others, such as Attorney Generals throughout the U.S.A.
Such cases usually take years for unclear and questionable reasons to reach closure and acknowledgement, yet in the past two years, the settlements from such cases has approached 2 billion dollars returned to the taxpayers after investigations ended that took all these years, which is tax dollars returned to the American public with these settlements, as I understand.
So, what has been happening once a pharma company gets busted. Criminal indictment by the government prosecutors? This is hardly the case, yet appropriate. Usually, the prosecutor’s objective is to dismiss the case, but give the impression that such activities will not be tolerated by our government that exists to protect us- the citizens. So Corporate Integrity Agreements are mandated to the pharma company after the settlement is paid, but such agreements are not really taken seriously, as some have more than one of these agreements active still when getting busted again. It’s an invisible ankle bracelet that one forgets is on them. A pharma company can and have committed equal or worse crimes while under such an agreement as this. This Agreement is issued not only after the settlement agreement, but also after the deferred or non prosecution agreement is sentenced to the law-breaking corporation, which basically is a pre-trial diversion. Essentially, it’s just parole, which is supported by the DOJ and the administration along with the corporations. Cronyism, anyone? The criminals admit wrongdoing, but not guilt. And they pay a settlement in the neighborhood of hundreds of millions of dollars. Not that shocking, if you consider the income of big pharma companies, such an amount is more like a corporate tithing. These agreements are relatively new and partially a result of suggestions somehow devised by the lawmakers of our country that I understand is understaffed- perhaps by premeditation.
We are the top country in the world with the most prisoners behind bars, yet those that do similar if not greater harm to others get out of jail free. Double standard, I would say. Is this behavior by our legal system towards corporations an effective deterrent? Most think not. It rather seems like tacit approval of their conduct. And health care fraud may be more damaging than other types in other industries, yet lack of regulation allows such crimes to continue.
Citizens should make the laws in our country. Justice would then finally exist. Along with Freedom. Because it appears both we believe we have is quite an illusion.
“Corporations cannot commit treason, nor be outlawed, nor excommunicated, for they have no souls.”
---- Edward Coke
Dan Abshear
Author’s note: What has been written above is based upon information and belief
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