You read it here first.

In a letter last Wednesday, Pete Stark, a Democrat and member of the House Ways and Means committee who chairs its health subcommitee, calls the AstraZeneca scandal over allegations of off-label marketing the “tip of the iceberg.” And he goes on to say that “if something like this is happening at one company, it’s likely happening at most drug manufacturers…I urge you to immediately investigate the allegations..and to open an investiigation into FDA’s oversight of pharmaceutical marketing to physicians.”

The HHS Office of Inspector General is already “aware” of the allegations that cancer meds were illegally promoted by AstraZeneca sales managers and sales reps, although the agency has declined to say whether an investigation is under way.

The scandal began last month when an internal AstraZeneca newsletter was posted on the Internet by this site and others. A regional sales manager, Mike Zubillaga, was quoted comparing doctors’ offices to a “big bucket of money,” and also discussed marketing tactics that appeared to be about off-label promotion. He was fired the day after the public disclosure.

Since then, an anonymous group of AstraZeneca employees began circulating slides and memos purportedly indicating that off-label promotion was taking place. That woud not only violate company policy but potentially cause more difficulty for the drugmaker, which is operating under a 2003 Corporate Integrity Agreement with the HHS OIG.

AstraZeneca has since claimed an internal investigation is under way, and ceo Dave Brennan has acknowledged that the drugmaker is willing to take further steps to correct any violations.

This is the letter. Or you can simply click below.

[tags]AstraZeneca, Mike Zubillaga, Off-Label Marketing, Pete Stark[/tags]