Conflicts in the Drug Industry

Update: There is now a link to the Hamilton Spectator investigative series. Link below in body of text.

From the New York Times Excerpt:

October 27, 2005
Ex-Head of F.D.A. or Wife Sold Stock in Regulated Area
By GARDINER HARRIS

"Dr. Lester M. Crawford, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, or his wife sold shares in companies regulated by the agency in 2004, according to financial disclosure forms
The sales may have played a role in Dr. Crawford's sudden resignation from the agency last month after only two months as its leader."
Well that's not surprising

The August 7 2005 Nebraska Lincoln Star's headline was "Doctors leak drug secrets to Wall St." Excerpt:

"Doctors testing new drugs are sworn to keep their research a secret until drug companies announce the final results. But elite Wall Street firms - looking to make quick profits - have found a way to harvest these secrets: They pay doctors to divulge the details early"

Nebraska Lincoln Starcites a Seattle Times investigation here that found:

"26 cases in which doctors have leaked confidential and critical details of their ongoing drug research to Wall Street firms"

On June 25 2005 The Hamilton Spectator did their own research here that found 97 researchers involved in clinical drug trials, many of them for mental heatlh illnesses, at Hamilton's McMaster University that were benefiting from monetary rewards by Big Pharma.

The investigative reporters at the Spec didn't find their information through McMaster's transparency though. They searched the drug firms websites and linked the researchers to them either by those researchers getting directly paid by Big Pharma and the University simultaneausly or by receiving stock options.

A number of those drugs were pulled off the Canadian market for adverse side effects. Now it is pretty well known from reports in the media that have been posted on this blog that some Big Pharma companies have been found to pressure their researchers into presenting only positive clinical results.

As for McMaster, they have a very close relationship with St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, which is currently under investigation by the Ontario Privacy Commission for violating the Personal Health Information Protection Act for disclosing personal health information to non-health care providers without the patient's consent.

There are also allegations that management at the City of Hamilton's shelter and emergency hostel program is involved in allowing deceitful use of the collection and disclosure of personal health information from shelter and hostel staff to the local hospitals.

Some personal health information was disclosed to mental health researchers without consent of the patient, which violates the hospitals research code of ethics and various health legislation. Doing so exposes those percieved with mental health illnesses to 'guniea pig - like' treatment.

Other allegations arising from maltreatment at St. Joseph's are that the psychiatrists, clinicians and nursing staff at St. Joseph's are manipulating clincial data of mental health patients with worse symptoms and diagnosis than they actually have, including pathologising legal rights that patients know they have a right to. One allegation has surfaced that a mental health patient's had their money stolen when the staff returned their belongings.

Even if someone made a complaint to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, they would most likely get away with 'unethical' if not 'illegal' pratices because the College consults doctors on areas of conflict of interest instead of professionals in this area as stated on page 41 of an audit of the College by KPMG LLP.

It is doubtful that the CPSO understands transparency because they have a problem with transparency themselves - as page 35 of the report documents.

And if there were evidence presented to the CPSO Complaints Committee, it is very likely that an investigator would withhold it, be manipulated or they would hold it to a higher standard than they are expected as stated on page 33 of the report.

The KPMG Report has shown that the CPSO does not understand its obligation to protect the public interest - page 36 so it is likely that abuse within Ontario's health system will continue. And all of this is happening with the knowledge of Ontario's Ministry of Health officials including the Minister.

And since Minister Smitherman and those working in this Ministry consistently ignore their responsibilities, these abuses will continue to fester - just look at the fact that there are 40 more reserves in Ontario that have tainted water - jeopardizing the health of Ontarians.

So my question is, if the health Ministry, including the Minister continue to refuse to acknowledge their legislative responsibilities to see to it that public hospitals are run that protect the public interest, and not create more mental health illnesses, as they are legislated to under the Regulated Health Professions Act, could those involved be in a conflict of interest or benefiting from not having these abuses exposed? Why are these officials allowing individuals to die on their watch?