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Unethical Practices in Pharmacy

1) GlaxoSmithKline Fined $3 Billion by FDA for Improper Marketing and

Unethical Behavior
US Department of Justice ordered the pharmaceutical
giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), to pay $3 billion in criminal and civil liabilities
in the largest healthcare fraud settlement in US history. GSK was caught
promoting several drugs for unapproved uses, failing to report safety data,
paying kickbacks to physicians, and price reporting.
By law, pharmaceutical companies are only allowed to market drugs
according to what is stated in their package labeling which is approved by
the FDA. Off-label uses are the practice of prescribing pharmaceuticals for an
unapproved indication or in an unapproved age group, unapproved dose or
unapproved form of administration. Physicians are legally allowed to
prescribe drugs off-label (as long as it is not contraindicated), but the
pharmaceutical company cannot directly or indirectly influence off-label use.
In most cases, off-label use isnt dangerous, nor is it particularly unethical.
GSK was accused of unlawfully promoting medicines such as Paxil, an
antidepressant, Wellbutrin, for weight loss, the treatment of sexual
dysfunction, substance addictions and ADHD, and Advair, an asthma drug.

2) Swiss Drug Maker Novartis Accused Of Unethical Kickbacks For

Pharmacies And Doctors
The U.S. Department of Justice filed two lawsuits against the Swiss drug
maker, Novartis under the False Claims Act, which allows the U.S. to seek
triple damages for fraud committed against the government.
In one case, the release states, Novartis offered a pharmacist in Los Angeles
a bonus rebate equivalent to 5 percent of the pharmacists annual sales of
Myfortic, or several hundred thousand dollars, in order to induce the
pharmacist to shoulder the burden of switching 700 to 1,000 transplant
patients to the drug.

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The second complaint against Novartis centers around a multi-million dollar

incentive program targeting doctors themselves, according to The Wall
Street Journal.
As the news agency reports, drug companies commonly pay doctors to speak
about new drugs while meeting with other doctors.
However, while the industry claims such meetings are primarily educational,
U.S. authorities allege they often dissolve into simple kickbacks designed to
get doctors to prescribe their drugs.

3) Rogue Pharmacists
On July 1, 2010, police arrested a 61-year-old pharmacist in a Modesto,
California, Rite Aid. He was described as a traveling pharmacist, someone
who works in one location for only a few days before moving on to another
one. He was observed by company loss-prevention officers as leaving the
pharmacy several times during the day, going to his car, smoking cigarettes,
and drinking from a mug. After the pharmacist left his car, the lossprevention officers looked through the windows and noticed an accumulation
of pills and bottles. After being seen stealing a bottle of alcohol and heading
toward his car, the pharmacist was detained by the officers. Upon inspecting
the car, the officers found 350 tablets of diazepam, acetaminophen with
codeine, alprazolam, and several bottles of promethazine codeine syrup. The
mug he had been drinking from was filled with alcohol.
On January 14, 2010, a 44-year-old pharmacist was arrested in Citronelle,
Alabama, on charges of selling and distributing controlled substances. He
was stopped as he was leaving the pharmacy where he was employed. At the
time of his arrest, he was in possession of 1,000 hydrocodone tablets and
1,400 mL of codeine syrup. He is suspected of stealing at least 4,000
controlled substances and 2,000 mL of codeine syrup.

4) Unethical drug marketing abound

A number of doctors reacted to the series of columns on prohibitive
prescription drug prices in this country. They described it as excessive and
unethical marketing practices of the drug companies as a major factor for

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high drug prices. Some of these doctors say they are scandalized that in
many cases, their fellow doctors allow themselves to be practically bribed to
prescribe particular drugs.
An example is the case of the Norvasc discount card that is being distributed
in doctors and offices. Of course it is normally the secretary or receptionist
that dispenses it but she does so with the knowledge and approval of the
doctor. Given that Norvascs sales in the Philippines in 2005 hit P1.185 billion
and have been growing annually at 34.5%, there is plenty to share with
doctors who agree to be part of Pfizers marketing network.
The situation certainly looks unethical and smacks of commercialism. But
then again, because it has achieved the dubious distinction of being an
accepted practice in the local medical community, no one gives it a second
thought. For Norvasc, a straight discount at the drugstore level is more
proper and ethical, something expected of Pfizer, the worlds largest drug
company.

Sources:
www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/glaxosmithkline-fined-3billion-fda-improper-marketing-unethical-behavior/
www.natureworldnews.com/articles/1624/20130427/swiss-drug-makernovartis-accused-unethical-kickbacks-pharmacies-doctors
www.uspharmacist.com/content/d/pharmacy%20law/c/23350/
www.philstar.com/business/373950/unethical-drug-marketing-practicesabound