Boehringer Ingelheim Gives 20 Scientists The Boot
5 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // September 24th, 2008 // 1:21 pm
This is simply is not a good month for the drugmaker and its employees. First, the Micardis blood pressure drug fails another trial. Then, two published studies indicate the Spiriva lung med significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and death from heart disease, which BI disputes.
Meanwhile, the neurology sales force of nearly 400 reps is being trimmed and the drugmaker ended a contract with InVentiv, one of the players in the Rent-A-Rep business, which was promoting its troubled Micardis. Where will InVentiv reps work next? At Merck, promoting rival blood pressure meds to docs who were prescribing Micardis (back story).
And earlier this week, Boehringer dismissed 20 scientists who worked at its Ridgefield, Connecticut, facility. A spokeswoman sent us this statement confirming the cuts: “We continue to grow and ensure we have the talent necessary to achieve our goals. This resulted in the difficult decision for twenty of our research colleagues to leave our organization on Monday. We will begin recruiting immediately for individuals whose experience and skill sets align with our strategic needs.” Doing what? She didn’t say.
Anon
The layoff of scientists by BI follows similar patterns at Pfizer, FDA, and elsewhere.
Overwork scientists and don’t allow them to update skills.
Outsource and move research overseas.
Hire new scientists right out of school (or the FDA’s new training program) with different skill sets, (i.e. data analysis that you prevented your previous scientists from obtaining.
These new scientists are cheaper and don’t know all the tricks you’re using to hide safety issues by miscoding data etc..
Follow Glaxo’s UK pattern and pepeat in 15 years so you never have to pay for senior scientists above 50 and never have to pay retirement benefits.
BATMAN
Yikes. If these allegations are true, someone better speak up! Miscoding to hide adverse events is very bad stuff. Gee, thought only Merck did that? Oh yeah BI is the new Merck! Marty and Paul run the show and they used to be at Merck during Vioxx’s run to glory. Just coincidence?
BATMAN
If this is true that drug issues were concealed by coding them “out”, then this should be reported. It is curious that the newer leadership at BI is the same failed leadership accused of similar conduct in science surrounding the drug Vioxx. Some will wonder after recent meta-analysis done on your inhalers shows troubling deaths and the most recent Profess Trial which data seemed to contradict prior data from ESPS-2. The ESPS-2 trial was all outside of the US, so who really knows how truly straight it was, huh? But then again brain bleeds are really minor, right?
Ace
So what therapeutic areas did these scientists work? Is this PROFESS damage? Or is BI just trimming some fat?
Irene Ingraham
My husband was one of the discovery scientists “laid off” at B-I. The wk. before, Marty Carroll, President of B-I, told employees at a open house reception that there would be no layoffs at B-I. The following Monday, Sept. 22, 2008, my husband and 19 of his colleagues were literally shown the door. It is being called “Black Monday” by all present and former employees. All of the terminated employees never had lower than meets or exceeds on any of their performance reviews. They were not allowed to get their belongings and were escorted out by security. The morale of remaining employees is extremely low and many of them are being told they will have to transfer to lower level jobs or leave the company. About 50 I-T people were terminated at B-I in Jan. My husband had worked at B-I for over 20 yrs. and his only fault was working too hard. He was under valued and under utilized. He is a brilliant scientist. We have a child in grad school, two children in college and one child in h.s. I have not been able to obtain employment and our severance and unemployment will not last much longer. My husband is on his second interview today but we are living a nightmare. The person who decided to terminate my husband had not been with the company for even a full year. If B-I had been honest with us and let us know what might happen we would have had time to get an equity loan and start applying elsewhere. But it would be worse to be stuck at B-I with it’s current level of mistrust and animosity. And they are hiding the “layoffs” in the economic downturn while advertising to hire more employees than they laid off for less money, no pensions, lower benefits level etc… What a pathetic situation for B-I. They used to be known as the family owned company who doesn’t hurt it’s employees by disposing of them at will. No longer.