Posted on 08/22/2013 8:34:24 AM PDT by xzins
Eli Lilly and Co. has spent millions of dollars on kickbacks to doctors in China for new patients who started using the drugmaker's insulin products, according to a report from a Chinese newspaper.
The 21st Century Business Herald reported that the Indianapolis company spent at least 30 million yuan, or about $4.9 million, in direct kickbacks to doctors. The paper cites a former Lilly executive it identified using the pseudonym Wang Wei.
A Lilly spokeswoman said in an email the company is "deeply concerned" about the allegations, and it is still investigating very similar accusations from a former sales manager that it learned about last year.
The newspaper reported that doctors received payments from Lilly representatives as high as $130 in some cases for each new patient. The doctors were asked to fill out cards on each patient after they prescribed the medication. Lilly representatives then collected the cards and paid the doctors, the paper said.
Chinese authorities have been cracking down on pharmaceutical misconduct. They've launched an investigation against French drugmaker Sanofi after the state-owned 21st Century Business Herald also reported that an unnamed whistleblower said Sanofi paid 503 doctors a total of $274,000 to prescribe Sanofi products. The paper said the payments were disguised as grants for research programs.
Government officials also detained last month some employees of British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline on bribery suspicions.
In China's health system, low salaries and skimpy budgets drive doctors, nurses and administrators to make ends meet by accepting money from patients, drug suppliers and others. The practice has long been common knowledge.
(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...
The money quote. In other words, in a government run health care system, bribery gives better access to doctors.
Will anyone go to jail. Nope.
Drug companies are "legit" corporate versions of drug dealers.
For a short time, I worked for a drug company that produced a well-known pain reliever. They routinely pushed doctors to over-prescribe their big moneymaker (150 pills when 30 were sufficient) and move patients from milder, safer pain medications to their highly addictive moneymaker.
Large fines were eventually levied against them, but NO ONE WENT TO JAIL.
“In other words, in a government run health care system, bribery gives better access to doctors.”
Anyone who didn’t know this is an idiot. 0bamunism is turning all of us into Soviet citizens, where if you want anything done, you have to get it done “na levo,” or under the table. You want to make sure you will jump the line to see your doctor? Build him a deck. You need lumber for same? Give the guy at the lumberyard a few bottles of vodka or whiskey to look the other way as the lumber disappears. Make sure you take care of the cop down the street so he doesn’t ask questions.
Welcome to the USSA, comrade. This is just the way business gets done.
I don’t doubt their are some instances where unscrupulous folks push or surpass ethical boundaries.
With regards to international business dealings, however, this can get really dicey. China is especially difficult because they insist on having lots of control of the businesses that have a presence in their country. They skip the whole regulatory emphasis and go right for contractual obligation in ambiguous terms that can change or be re-interpreted.
For instance, the doctors can be pressured by the government toward one product or another. The government official may require a fee for their consultation. And that may be legal and fine with the Chinese Government. But when the Chinese doctors “charge” pharmaceutical reps to spend time with them or to review a product, it can be construed as a “kickback” (for instance. I have no solid knowledge of details). I do know that in these corrupt areas of foreign countries, usually at a local level. These are only “issues” when a local ruler is not getting what they want.
It’s a spiral. Once you are invested and in for a penny, your in for a pound. There is a fine line between extortion and bribery. And the winner gets to choose which it was.
Lilly, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers... those left in the US pharma-— they ALL paid kickbacks to Congress thru lobbyists to get obamaomau-care passed. And they are STILL doing it- which is why Rinos in their pocket are reluctant to de-fund it or repeal it. Pharma groups did this, ALL so they could enact their idiotic business plan to have the govt. make them “single source” vendors of medication to “national health care” — their new future of supposed billions. They didn’t realize single payer will eliminate single source, and maybe now they want out. They did this to copy you know... like in the UK where THAT has worked so well/sarc.
In same fashion, the insurance industry was behind this (note said WAS) because they believed that, like auto insurance the law would require millions to buy private insurance and bring a premium bonanza for them.
When the reality is— single payer insurance by the govt., expensive, and the quality of care for a new lower class of dependent citizens, no new medications or research and the ultimate goal realized by the Corporatist socialist globalist companies: Complete removal of the cost and obligation to provide healthcare benefits to employees. The whole thing by liberal dem fraud artists and their partners in big corporate america... was and is a SCAM.
This is exactly how coal miner coverage was shifted to the US government away from the mineral rights holders (the rockefellers et al), and other “nationalized” industries, like the railroads (no matter what we hear from the “genius” Warren Buffett who owns 40% of US subsidized Amtrak- seriously- BN does).
End of coffee morning rant FReepers. A toast to the few risk takers left in this decomposing country. Good morning!
In Cuba people scheme on how to get their hands on hard currency the way welfare bums scheme to sell food stamps for the same reason. It’s “illegal” but when the government is insane, people are all criminals if they want to survive.
These articles are common at this “blog” site:
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.