At more than $5 billion in fines and judgments, GlaxoSmithKline is treading the same muddy waters as Merck, especially since its HPV vaccine counterpart, Cervarix, has its own share of adverse reactions and alleged deaths being reported around the world.
GSK's most recent "mistakes" stem from its diabetes drug, Avandia, which the FDA on September 23 decided to "regulate" – a little – but not withdraw, leaving Avandia as a "mistake" that is still ongoing.
What we do know so far is that GSK spent 11 years trying to cover up trial data that showed that Avandia was a risky drug for the heart.
In my research for this article, I also discovered that Avandia topped the list of drugs linked to fatal adverse events in 2009, according to an analysis of U.S. Food and Drug Administration records. With a staggering 1,354 deaths reported to the FDA in 2009 alone, it's hard to believe that this drug is still even in discussion!
But, like the others I investigated, GSK also has made hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for fraud cases and pricing disputes, as well as judgments won by the federal government in Medicare and Medicaid fraud suits.
Roche's offenses have been ongoing over the years in its companies and affiliates around the world. Most recently, in March, Roche suspended a clinical trial for a rheumatoid arthritis and lupus drug after serious infections, some of them fatal, were reported with it.
Officials reported that the trial was stopped because "opportunistic" infections like those found in the trials are not normal in healthy individuals. Sadly, that information was too late for 15 Japanese patients, who died after taking one of Roche's approved arthritis medicines, Actemra.
But that's not the end of deaths related to Roche products: Another Roche drug, Posicor, was withdrawn in 1998 after reports of at least 140 deaths linked to harmful interactions of Posicor with other drugs.
It's no wonder that Roche has had to pay out nearly $2 billion in judgments and fines over the years, with thousands of individuals suing them. But before I move on, let me remind you that Roche also manufactures the CDC's and FDA's favorite flu stand-by, Tamiflu.
And in case you've forgotten, Tamiflu was blamed for the deaths of 18 Japanese children in 2007, and the subject of a warning by the Japanese Ministry of Health not to give this drug to children ages 10 to 19.
With a record like this, you would think that Roche and the rest of the drug king pins known as Big Pharma would have just a little shame over what they've done over the years. But, since the offenses just keep coming, and since states like Indiana have to keep on begging for whistleblowers to step forward, it's apparent that Pharma's sense of shame is nonexistent.
It seems fitting then, to end with this New York Times headline from 1999, when Roche was the subject of the price-fixing scandal that earned its No. 1 Corporate Criminal spot on AllBusiness.com's list:
"Roche Officers Say Scandal Is a Surprise." Yes, they proclaimed innocence, even while the federal government was busy yanking their hands right out of the cookie jar.
Fortunately, states' attorneys general like Zoeller are gaining ground in gathering support for routing out the criminal acts that Big Pharma continues to perpetuate.
More and more, organizations like the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the False Claims Act Legal Center, and Politicol News are starting to investigate and publicize the illegal – and criminal – actions that these companies have been getting away with for years.
Thanks to the federal False Claims Act, state and federal investigators have a gun that they can use to hunt down and prosecute these heinous crimes with. If you visit the False Claims Act Legal Center website, you'll get a hint of just how much this type of corporate has been going on.
But again, it's just a hint, just the tip of an iceberg. What it does prove is that Big Pharma can't be trusted – and they have the criminal history to prove it.
What's most shocking, though, is that even when they get caught with deaths on their hands, along with the money in the cookie jar of price-fixing, fraud and deceit, is that like Pfizer, their punishments appear to be just little slaps on the wrist.
Apparently, they are too big to nail; too big to fail. So, like Baxter, instead of shutting down, they cough up a pittance in comparison to what they took, and continue onward with their government contracts for vaccines and other drugs.
It's encouraging that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in July announced the formation of the Healthcare Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team, which together with the Department of Justice, US Attorneys' Offices and other federal agencies will target healthcare and drug fraud.
But, as Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said, it's going to take more than that. So, whistleblowers, come out and help in this crusade. It's time to hold Big Pharma's career criminals accountable.
The chart below shows the type of criminal activity, lawsuits and fines or judgments I was able to find for each of the drug companies featured in this article. Keep in mind that these are conservative numbers – many records are not available without a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Also, many are not readily available online unless you know exactly what you're looking for, and what year.
(For chart see link: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... ?aid=CD945)Statistics: Posted by The_Grand_Illusion — 20 Nov 2010, 06:46
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