Firm paid for Caribbean and ski junkets for doctors
Sunday Independent, 6 March 2010
Irish pharma giant Elan advised doctors to give an unauthorised drug to young children by mixing it in "apple sauce", according to documents obtained by the Sunday Independent.
Last Monday, the €3bn-valued Athlone-headquartered company agreed to pay the biggest fine in Irish corporate history, when it coughed up almost €147m as part of an agreement to resolve US criminal and civil investigations into the illegal marketing of an epilepsy drug.
The most shocking allegation made by the Justice Department is that Elan's sales force gave guidance about how to make children take the unapproved drug.
"One particular medical letter used by sales representatives with paediatricians described how to administer Zonegran to a child by putting the contents of a Zonegran capsule into apple sauce," according to the complaint.
"No mention was made of the fact that the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) had specifically not approved Zonegran for use in children due to the severe potential side effects..."
The case also revealed highly controversial methods used by drug companies to persuade doctors to prescribe their highly profitable products. Potential "high prescriber" doctors were invited on "expense-paid trips" to the Caribbean or ski resorts for "so-called" advisory board meetings to hear speeches on health issues. These junkets took place in Bermuda and Key Largo in Florida, as well as the exclusive Vail ski resort in Colorado and Tucson, Arizona, according to the allegations. Elan also sponsored presentations and articles about using Zonegran for unapproved purposes.
