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Eleven former executives from TAP pharmaceutical products went
on trial after they were accused of bribing doctors and hospitals
with kickbacks, providing they bought their medications.
To date, the company has already paid $875 million to settle charges
that the company bribed doctors to prescribe the prostate cancer
medication Lupron at inflated prices. Experts involved in the case
said the marketing campaign for the TAP employees focused on providing
doctors with extra perks if they purchased the drug, rather than
selling the drug because it was better and had fewer side effects.
According to experts, the drug companies bribed the doctors with
attractive offers such as ski trips and golf outings.
There were also evidence of money that was being spent on doctors’
bar tabs and cocktail parties that fell under the category of "educational
grants." Other experts have referred to this practice as a
broad scheme to pick the pockets of cancer-stricken, vulnerable,
elderly Americans and all taxpayers.
Since the alleged crimes, the pharmaceutical companies have tightened
their reins on gifts to doctors and have set more strict and comprehensive
guidelines.
While consumers have perceived these implemented guidelines as
smoke screens, prosecutors stated their hopes of criminal indictments
as a more effective means to stopping this practice of kickbacks
than voluntary guidelines.
ABC
News April 13, 2004
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