Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18193

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: Journal Article

Turone F
Italian police investigate GSK Italy for bribery
BMJ 2003; 326:(7386):413
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/326/7386/413/a

Abstract:

The top management of the Italian branch of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is under investigation together with more than 2900 physicians, most of whom are general practitioners.

Based on the preliminary conclusions of an inquiry by police, who collected more than 13000 hours of phone conversations in 15 Italian regions and seized several computers, 72 people have been charged with corruption (37 employees of GSK Italy and 35 physicians and health service managers).

In addition, 80 sales representatives and managers are accused of illicitly compensating doctors for agreeing to prescribe or recommend to colleagues the company’s products instead of the generic equivalents or analogues made by other companies.

The investigation started last June in Verona when the police, during a routine examination, found in the GSK’s yearly budget the amount of 100m (£67m; $108m) for “medical promotion” and “other promotion.” Since the only forms of self promotion that pharmaceutical companies are allowed to use are limited to gadgets . . .