Lies to FDA investigators. Follows trade association's instructions on how to sidestep USDA request for samples to test for unapproved ingredients from foreign suppliers. Fabricates drug-safety data. Deceives regulators about the effectiveness of its drugs. "Sells" a disease (e.g., "it's under-recognized") to justify a new drug. Gets quick FDA approval by saying its products are duplicates of other products previously approved. Defaults on a promised test study but got approval anyway for expanded Medicare coverage.
In Promoting Drugs to and Conniving with Doctors
Bribes doctors with luxury vacations and paid speaking gigs. Drug reps ingratiate themselves with doctors in order to persuade them to prescribe more of the drugs they're selling. Pays influential leaders in the profession to tout the virtues of drugs and devices to their colleagues. Showers doctors with perks and consulting contracts. Helps doctors overbill the state for medicines bought by the doctors. Provides drugs to doctors at a discount so they can be sold to patients at a big profit. Pays hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors every year in return for giving their patients certain medicines, which regulators later say may be unsafe at commonly used doses. Rewards doctors handsomely for doing nothing more in their drug "research" than writing down brief notes of their observations of patient outcomes. Skirts the rules against advertising drugs for unapproved uses by sponsoring seminars where doctors are paid to make presentations promoting their drugs, including the "off label" uses.
In Pricing and Marketing Drugs to the Public
Big Pharma spends far more on marketing and administration
than on R&D but justifies R&D
costs for its astronomical drug prices. Never publicizes that its drug posed
risks to the heart. Falsifies vaccine data, labels, and claims for a decade or
so. Promotes to kids under 18 an anti-depressant approved only for adults and
pushed two other anti-depressants for unapproved purposes. Markets a drug that
is more expensive than alternative drugs and deadly among adults and children. Sponsors
health- and illness-awareness days in public schools and then blitzes them with
promotions. Uses subtle public-relations campaigns to pave the way for new
drugs years before available. Secretly puts media stars on their payrolls to
slyly slip in lines about some real or fake ailment and a drug cure on a news
show interview or some other show. Spends sizable percent of research on
"me-too" drugs designed to make a profit, but are therapeutically useless. Sales rep tells purchasers how to bill the government at
full prices for free or discounted non-prescription products. Charges what the market will bear rather than
keep price increases in line with inflation. Worried about the taping and
cutting out of commercials by viewers, drug advertisers weave their products
into the plot lines or have the products strategically placed in scenes. Markets
"off-label drugs," versions of drugs different from those tested by federal
regulators. Uses consumers' private medical information for commercial
purposes. Raises drug prices before new legislation passed seeking to curb drug
prices. Sues to stop a program that lets states create preferred drug lists for
Medicare patients and then demand steep discounts from drug companies that want
to get on the list. One of most conservative voices in
In Handling Safety Issues of Drugs on the Market
Drug industry was aware for at least a decade of animal
studies linking breast implants to cancer and other illnesses, but women were
not told of the risks until years later. Responded to questions about product
safety and lawsuits with a full-court press to keep internal memos and studies
from reaching the public. Began buying the new ingredients of one of its key
drugs from a new supplier and never followed up on the ingredient's effects
until reports of serious problems patients were experiencing. Finally owned up
to deadly products in wake of bacteria scandal. Knew for 20 yrs that its
product was unreliable, but didn't believe it would cause a health problem, did
very little testing, and stonewalled in liability before finally trying to make
amends. Relied on its deceptive practices to earn billions of dollars selling
potentially dangerous drugs to unsuspecting consumers and medical patients;
didn't deny any of it, simply paid the paltry fine, apologized to its
customers, and continued doing wrongdoing as usual. Compounds drugs that are
often too weak or too strong. Sold a concentrated product even though
executives were warned of the dangerous side effects. Diluted cancer drugs to
boost profits. Mislabeled and adulterated several of its drugs used by
millions of consumers and then masterminded a massive cover-up of its
activities. Made a drug that caused thousands of deformities and then was again
involved years later in yet another disputed drug case in court. Hid behind
court secrecy proceedings in defending itself against hundreds of lawsuits
brought by patients and thus avoided the disclosure of several important
documents sought by the congressional-investigative committee. Sells to other
countries a drug taken off the
In Other Roguish Acts
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