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May 19, 2009

Massachusetts Biotech Chief Fined $10,000 Over Ethics Breaches

Filed under: Big Pharma, pharmaceutical giants, pharmaceutical sales, pharmaceuticals — Rod Malcolm @ 11:04 am

Former state economic development aide used position to develop tax breaks and other incentives for biotech companies, while secretly seeking top job with the biotech trade council.

The Massachusetts Ethics Commission has levied a $10,000 fine on Robert K. Coughlin, the former top economic development aide to Governor Deval Patrick, for secretly seeking the presidency of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council last year — and all while using his government job to help push through various tax breaks and incentives crucial to the biotech industry’s lobbying group.

The Boston Globe reports that the ethics commission found that Coughlin, a former Democratic state representative, began his own lobbying activities to land the $350,000-a-year job with the biotech lobbying group only a few weeks after the governor hired him to be undersecretary of business development. Coughlin spent the next five months secretly pursuing the job without telling administration officials, and without removing himself from policy decisions affecting his future employer, which is required by state law.

In finding that Coughlin violated state ethics law, the commission said his actions created an appearance that the Mass Biotechnology Council could unduly enjoy his favor in the performance of his official duties.

Created an appearance? Oh please! It’s was a lot more than “an appearance”.

And other than the fine, the commission has taken no action against Coughlin, and tried to keep its findings secret.

As for the ethics of the biotech council members themselves, it’s interesting to note that Coughlin’s predecessor in the top job at the biotech council, Thomas F. Finneran, was forced to resign after pleading guilty to federal obstruction charges almost two years ago. And the disgraced Finneran, before he took the biotech council job, was formerly the state House speaker!

Meanwhile, undaunted, the 550-member biotech council, which includes many large corporations, is said to be delighted with their new president, and looking forward to his inspired leadership in the coming year.

Whew.

The whole affair emphasizes the abysmal level of ethics of the pharmaceutical industry in general, and reminds us yet again of how its pervasive $eduction of politicians reaches into all levels of government.

Like the old saying goes, “Money talks, bull**** walks.”

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May 8, 2009

Industry Payola Under The Gun By Institute of Medicine

Filed under: Big Pharma — Rod Malcolm @ 8:34 am

The prestigious Institute of Medicine has called for a halt to the ‘free lunch’ culture pervading American medicine to end conflicts of interest, recapture independence for the medical profession, and hopefully reduce healthcare costs in the bargain.

All academic medical centers, journals, professional societies, and other entities engaged in health research, education, clinical care, and development of practice guidelines, should establish or strengthen conflict-of-interest policies, says a massive report from the country’s prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Titled “Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice”, the 353-page document appears on the heels of numerous reports from around the country calling for similar reforms, including Congressional investigations into big-name university professors, drug and device researchers, and pharma marketing practices that include gifts and payments that risk conflicts of interest.

Proponents of most aspects of payola, primarily Big Pharma and its well-rewarded medical “consultants”, both in universities and private practice, insist that there’s no conflict of interest, and that gifts, trips, dinners, lunches and outright cash payments are all in the interest of continuing product education and patient care.

But according to its press release announcing the report, the Institute takes the opposite view: “New voluntary and regulatory measures can strengthen protections against financial conflicts of interest in medicine without hindering patient care or the advancement of medical knowledge,” says the first sentence of the release.

“It is time to end a number of long-accepted practices that create unacceptable conflicts of interest, threaten the integrity of the medical profession, and erode public trust while providing no meaningful benefits to patients or society,” said Dr. Bernard Lo, chair of the committee that wrote the report.

Dr. Lo, professor of medicine and director of medical ethics at University of California, San Francisco, said a more specific disclosure of the financial relationships that doctors and researchers have with the medical products industry is needed. “This report spells out a strategy to protect against financial conflicts while allowing productive relationships between the medical community and industry that contribute to improved medical knowledge and care,” Dr. Lo said.

Some members of Congress are already calling for such transparency, and have proposed legislation to enforce it. The Physician Payment Sunshine Act of 2009 could become law this year, while several states have already adopted new regulations requiring disclosure of gifts and payments to physicians and medical educators.

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