July 19, 2007 at 17:27:35

Novartis Fired Whistleblower Who Then Met With FDA: Cancer Drug Approval Delayed

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By Peter Rost (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)

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But then something happened.

Two days ago, on July 17, 2007, Reuters announced that Novartis had said that U.S. regulators had "extended their review period for cancer drug Tasigna by three months."

"The delay in the Tasigna approval will not change our estimates significantly, but further increases the risk profile of Novartis," Kepler Equities analyst Denise Anderson said in a note, according to Reuters.

The reason Novartis gave for this delay?

The FDA wanted to "review additional data."

Novartis also said that "no new studies are required."

"It could have been my meeting with the FDA causing this," Olagunju says.

To download Olagunju's entire complaint, click here.

And what does Olagunju advice other whistleblowers to do?

Mr. Olagunju is a deeply religious person. He ends his voicemail recording with "God bless you," and he ends his e-mails with "The Lord is good unto them that wait upon Him. Wait upon the Lord! God bless you."

So Mr. Olagunju knows how to "turn the other cheek," as the Scripture requires. And he says he followed every proper company procedure, but he was punished for doing this.

He concludes, "if you're young, think twice before doing this, you really shouldn't blow the whistle unless you're wealthy."

And he advises anyone else who feels it is necessary to blow the whistle to NOT go to the company. "Go straight to the authorities," he said.

As for himself, he says his Faith is what has sustained him through these hard times.

"If I had gone straight to authorities my life would've been so much easier right now," Olagunju says. "But if I meet my Maker tomorrow, at least I would have peace in my heart, because I've done the right thing."

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Peter Rost M.D. Peter Rost, M.D., is a former Vice President of Pfizer. He is the author of "The Whistleblower, Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman" and "more...)

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