I had read a number of reports about the announcement that the Chairman of Forest Pharma Howard Solomon would be barred from Medicare/Medicaid payments because of corporate misbehavior, but I thought this was the clearest logic about this move by HHS:
Will a Pharmaceutical CEO Finally Be Held Accountable for Misbehavior on His Watch?
Healthcare Renewal
Dr. Roy Poses
04/15/2011…So the facts in the Forest Laboratories case make protests that holding corporate leaders accountable for misbehavior on their watches will stifle innovation seem disingenuous. Furthermore, it makes no sense to pay top corporate leaders outrageous amounts for everything good that happens on their watch without similarly holding them accountable for everything bad that happens then.
If the US government is really going to hold one corporate leader responsible for misbehavior by his subordinates on his watch, that would be a step forward. As we have said again and again, we will not deter unethical behavior by health care organizations until the people who authorize, direct or implement bad behavior fear some meaningfully negative consequences. Real health care reform needs to make health care leaders accountable, and especially accountable for the bad behavior that helped make them rich.
Of course that’s right. Here’s the Forest way from their 2004 Marketing Plan [see POGO]:
Yeah and Solomon’s Forest also sold Levathyroid BEFORE it was approved and the 2003 letter from the FDA told him to stop and they didnt. The guy knows what his company did/does and should be held accountable as ALL CEOs of the big pharma cos should be. The CEO reflects the company image and the DoJ fines arent stopping the illegal marketing, bribery etc, so the only way to stop this fraud and corruption is to have a personal event such as prison time happen to these ppl running the billion dollar pharma cos. Frankly, I have no idea why Americans tolerate such corrupt and unethical business practices in relation to pharmaceuticals they depend on for health. Enough already!
Roy Poses pointed out that “…the [legal] settlements have almost never been accompanied by any negative consequences for the people who authorized, directed or implemented the bad behavior.”
My question is, who was monitoring the behavior of the licensed physicians who implemented Forest Lab’s marketing plan? I noted that Madhukar Trivedi participated in the plan (See Appendix V). Trivedi holds a Texas medical license.
Careful what you wish for! While there is less than savory behavior at Forest, the fact that the CEO was not charged specifically in the action that lead to the fine does not simply conclude the White House can then call for his specific resignation.
This is not just about bad behaviors by company heads. It is also equally about the US government trying to dictate private industry’s choices and actions. This is dangerous ground being blazed here, and I don’t like it one bit!!!
Pay attention to the Boeing issues in South Carolina as another example!
Don’t miss this article:
Doctor Focuses on the Minds of the Elderly
by Jane Gross
The New York Times
Published online: April 30, 2011
Ghostwritten books,skewed Paxil 329 Nemeroff, Kutcher demand apologies for truth exposure http://tinyurl.com/44s5obe
Halifax newspaper buckles under to threat from Stan Kutcher, co-author of Paxil study, who is running for election…http://bit.ly/ll0XCM
http://bit.ly/ll0XCM Alison Bass article link
PS that article in the above comment–re elderly Marc E. Agronin is paid pharma doctor in Dollars for Docs database! what’s new!
PS the Stan Kutcher running for Liberal candidate in Canada is as if we saw Nemeroff’s name on a ballot! unbelievable! Paxil 329 author goes down in history as psychiatrist turned politician!