Comments on: AstraZeneca Pays $520M To Settle Seroquel Probes

By: anon been in industry long time

anon been in industry long time — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:47:56 +0000

Talk about ignorance. You all would love to believe that the industry prides itself on how badly business is conducted, and how little concern we have for pts. WRONG, the drug industry is more highly regulated, and monitored, internally and externally than ever; and more than any other business in this country. I spend more time telling prescribers where not to use my product and what is not an approved use; and passing out prescribing information which rarely is read, and usually is trashed. In fact, most pts would benefit much more if prescribing information was followed more closely by prescribers, esp in this therapeutic area.
Better be more worried about the politicians and bankers, as they are picking our pockets and we aren’t even aware, as we head over the edge towards pure socialism. And soon, the IRS will take on a new role of tracking down people who don’t buy health insurance. Wake up people !!

By: Been There

Been There — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:06:36 +0000

Morals and ethics are checked at the door every day for Big Pharma executives. Most are absolutely shameless and will never change unless there are real penalties. Sins against the public are rampant in the industry!

By: follow-on

follow-on — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:55:12 +0000

Tap/Lupron was an $875 M fine, but did not involve off-label, “just” pure Medicare/Medicaid fraud.

By: Justice in Michigan

Justice in Michigan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:51:04 +0000

I guess this makes Astra/Seroquel #4 all-time fine leader, after Pfizer, Lilly, Warner-Lamber/Pfizer. Or would the TAP/Lupron bust, somewhat different, beat out Neurontin and Seroquel.

By: Doc

Doc — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:04:33 +0000

Another day another dollar. To exactly quote one director I know in big pharma, “These fines are just the cost of doing business”.

Said with no shame, remorse or concern about patient well being.

I’d like to think that he was an outlier, but I don’t think so.

By: Anon

Anon — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:41:12 +0000

The quote at the end is striking. I don’t believe AZ has less of a “culture of ethics” than other companies. Relative to the Seroquel competitors–J&J and Lilly–it is probably a more ethical company overall.

Thus the impact of reading about its internal documents mentioned in another thread in which burying studies, etc., is discussed directly. Perhaps things are getting better. But if AZ has gone ethically south, it suggests how much change is needed.

Has it begun? I’d love to believe it has.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:02:53 +0000

It’s just the cost of doing business for Big Pharma. Corrupt, greedy management unsatisfied with the money to be made from an actual FDA indication. Sad.

By: larry fields

larry fields — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:35:20 +0000

NAMI and Astra. like another person said in another post. LOVE

By: Realist

Realist — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:31:21 +0000

The last paragraph is BS. Companies like AZ don’t seem to know what compliance is and certainly don’t have a culture of “ethics and integrity.”

By: BP Watch

BP Watch — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:29:18 +0000

Pittance when compared with what they made by off-lable promotion! Also, we shouldn’t forget about all the metabolic problems patients developed as well as all of the elderly and kids that took this drug needlessly. What about personal fines for all the marketeers involved as well as some criminal cases and jail time? Never, says Big Pharma.