The AstraZeneca scandal lingers on, but already has offered some useful lessons. For big pharma, the episode was a tutorial in dealing with the unexpected clout of blogs as news outlets. The same message made its way to old media. For AstraZeneca, specfically, the affair was a humbling experience that forced senior management to listen to its employees, if only for a little while.

And for other sales reps, the infamous Group of Seven - who repeatedly leaked evidence of off-label marketing practices - suggests that the scandal holds out these reminders for others who may want to reach for the whistle:

1 - Always remain anonymous. Don’t go to management, legal, personnel or policy. They are not your friends.

2 - Retaliation is guaranteed. No matter what they say. It may not happen right away, but your career is over if you get caught (see picture above).

3 - Keep your mouth shut. Don’t tell your spouse, coworkers, friends or family unless you can trust them to secrecy. Years from now loose lips could catch up to you.

4 - Lots of people should know about the evidence. If not, don’t use it. Look for communications with lots of recipients, or meetings with ten or more people present.

5 - Stuff in writing is golden. It never dies, and is hard evidence, especially e-mail. Make sure you ‘scrub’ documents carefully, getting rid of electronic ‘fingerprints’.

6 - Avoid all company assets. When gathering evidence, discreetly transfer everything through a memory stick to your private computer.

7 - Use anonymous e-mail. It’s worth a few bucks. Just do a search on Google. You can also buy an anonymous, disposable cell phone. Don’t use your real area code.

8 - Report violations. Don’t reveal your identity. If your company does nothing, report it to OIG. If OIG does nothing, report it to a reliable blog.

9 - See commandment number one. Don’t ever forget it. Be patient. Be careful. The truth goes a long way and carries its own weight. Once it’s out, the whistleblower is forgotten.