Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1721

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

German Public Prosecutor investigates doctors who have received gifts from GSK
Trouw newspaper 2002 Mar 13

Full text:

Amsterdam – The German judiciary suspects hundreds of physicians in the whole federal republic of accepting presents from the pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKlyne. At the Public Prosecutor’s office in Munich a criminal investigation has been initiated against up to 1300 doctors in hospitals and health centres. In addition an investigation was started against about 400 Glaxo collaborators. The physicians were alleged to have received goods and services worth between 500 and 25.000 Euro by preferentially prescribing Glaxo drugs. This mega-investigation has been going on for some time, but was only revealed last week. In the mean time it has been clear that in the whole federal republic suspicions have been raised against about 3.500 doctors. For the majority the case has been dropped because the “favours” were of limited value – maximally 500 Euro.

According to the German judiciary the physicians were offered by Glaxo trips to the World Football championships in Paris (1998) and to formula-1 racing events. In addition, according to the judiciary, books and computers were donated and the physicians were enabled – together with their partners – to attend foreign congresses at the expense of the manufacturer.

According to the Chief Prosecutor in Munich the trips only entailed “amusement”. There was no question of any scientific programme. In the mean time the prosecutor has confiscated documents from travel agencies and similar, proving the involvement of the physicians. In addition the premises of the manufacturer were searched.

According to GlaxoSmithKlyne Germany the affair occurred between 1997 and 1999 at the then country office of SmithKlyne Beecham. Glaxo did not merge with this firm until December 2000. “But we take the accusations quite seriously. We are at the moment executing a comprehensive investigation into the matter” – according to the spokesman. The firm avoids questions about the present practice of “conferring favours”.

Earlier Glaxo and a number of other pharmaceutical multinationals in The Netherlands were discredited because they had systematically been feting doctors. The firm of Merck Sharpe & Dohme was fined last year by a judge in Haarlem because they offered weekends on the Dutch island Terschelling, as well as tickets for the North Sea Jazz Festival and the musical Chicago. Thus far Dutch physicians have not been prosecuted because they accepted presents. Last November the Health Inspectorate threatened to do so if the firm BYK Nederland continued offering a trip to the posh Italian resort Sorrento to 500 doctors. BYK therefore cancelled the trip.