Peter Rost, M.D., is a former Pfizer Marketing Vice President providing services as a medical device and drug expert witness and pharmaceutical marketing expert. Judge Sanders: "The court agrees with defendants' view that Dr. Rost is a very adept and seasoned expert witness." He is also the author of Emergency Surgery, The Whistleblower and Killer Drug. You can reach him on rostpeter (insert symbol) hotmail.com. Follow on https://twitter.com/peterrost
Monday, April 09, 2007
AstraZeneca Whistleblower: National television network wants to reach you.
And your e-mail, as you promised, has already been disconnected.
Please contact me in manner agreed upon, asap.
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
It's funny that no one has noticed Zube's directive to "sell against letrozole".
To my knowledge there is no mention of letrozole in anastrozole's precribing information, or head to head studies for that matter.
Zube's comments about "buckets of money" were stupid, but his directive to "sell against letrozole" is probably illegal.
If AZ reps are making comparisons between anastrozole and letrozole, without any supporting data or prescribing information, and the federal governement is paying for anastrozole through Medicare Part D, that could be considered fraud under the False Claims act and your source would be a protected whistleblower.
The False Claims Act contains a whistleblower-protection provision, which provides that:
Any employee who is discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because of lawful acts done by the employee on behalf of the employee or others in furtherance of an action under this section, including investigation for, initiation of, testimony for, or assistance in an action filed or to be filed under this section, shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make the employee whole. Such relief shall include reinstatement with the same seniority status such employee would have had but for the discrimination, 2 times the amount of back pay, interest on the back pay, and compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the discrimination, including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. An employee may bring an action in the appropriate district court of the United States for the relief provided in this subsection.
Many courts have held that this provision protects not only those employees who actually file a False Claims Act lawsuit, but also those employees who are investigating matters that may lead to the filing of such a lawsuit.
"I heard early in the year at the Miami Breast Conference what letrozole as doing with their strategy. We should have changed our strategy with our core messages earlier in regards to selling against letrozole".
1) Anastrozole prescribing information has no mention of letrozole. http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/pi/arimidex.pdf
2) Anastrozole core messages are against tamoxifen, not letrozole.
3) There are no approved selling pieces against letrozole.
4) Any comparisons to a competitor is against company policy without approved material and training.
5) Any oral statements made by AZ reps that minimize anastrozole side effects, ie cardiovascular death rates compared to letrozole, would be considered "misbranding" and put AZ at risk.
4 comments:
It's funny that no one has noticed Zube's directive to "sell against letrozole".
To my knowledge there is no mention of letrozole in anastrozole's precribing information, or head to head studies for that matter.
http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/pi/arimidex.pdf
Zube's comments about "buckets of money" were stupid, but his directive to "sell against letrozole" is probably illegal.
If AZ reps are making comparisons between anastrozole and letrozole, without any supporting data or prescribing information, and the federal governement is paying for anastrozole through Medicare Part D, that could be considered fraud under the False Claims act and your source would be a protected whistleblower.
Yup...
The False Claims Act contains a whistleblower-protection provision, which provides that:
Any employee who is discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because of lawful acts done by the employee on behalf of the employee or others in furtherance of an action under this section, including investigation for, initiation of, testimony for, or assistance in an action filed or to be filed under this section, shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make the employee whole. Such relief shall include reinstatement with the same seniority status such employee would have had but for the discrimination, 2 times the amount of back pay, interest on the back pay, and compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the discrimination, including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. An employee may bring an action in the appropriate district court of the United States for the relief provided in this subsection.
Many courts have held that this provision protects not only those employees who actually file a False Claims Act lawsuit, but also those employees who are investigating matters that may lead to the filing of such a lawsuit.
Zube also said...
"I heard early in the year at the Miami Breast Conference what letrozole as doing with their strategy. We should have changed our strategy with our core messages earlier in regards to selling against letrozole".
1) Anastrozole prescribing information has no mention of letrozole.
http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/pi/arimidex.pdf
2) Anastrozole core messages are against tamoxifen, not letrozole.
3) There are no approved selling pieces against letrozole.
4) Any comparisons to a competitor is against company policy without approved material and training.
5) Any oral statements made by AZ reps that minimize anastrozole side effects, ie cardiovascular death rates compared to letrozole, would be considered "misbranding" and put AZ at risk.
http://www.cafepharma.com/boards/showthread.php?t=193357
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