Apotex and Toronto University

This story just seen on the Scientific Misconduct blog – a must read!

Here’s the situation:

You are Robert Prichard, the President of a University. The University of Toronto to be specific. There is chaos all around you caused by the attempt by Dr Olivieri to publish what she has found in a drug trial involving a big commercial company. Apotex to be specific. One academic, Gideon Koren is sending anonymous threatening correspondence to several other academics. You are caught in the middle of all of this.

You receive a letter. You suddenly realise who it is from. It’s Dr Bernard C Sherman PhD P. Eng (CEO of Apotex Inc)!

It begins: “As you know, Apotex has committed to donate to the University of Toronto $20 million for the new Medical Sciences Building, and Is close to finalizing an agreement to increase the donation to $55 million, which would also encompass a new building for the Faculty of Pharmacy and other projects. I am writing to advise you that Apotex is now confronted with an Impending force majeure, which, if not averted, will likely compel cancellation of our entire commitment to the University.”

Read on here – you won’t believe it.

I’m not sure what you would call the Apotex letter – maybe a suggestion – maybe a request – maybe lobbying – maybe blackmail – maybe a threat – maybe a command?

I just can’t make make up my mind – I’ll leave that to you…

Lisa Blakemore-Brown, The British Psychological Society, Dr Rita Pal and the GMC

Sorry to be late with this story, but I’m back in the chair now after spending a couple of weeks in Northumberland on the north east coast of England (which is where I come from – but even I never get used to the weather that we are treated to from time to time!)

I’m sure regular readers of pharma blogs may well know the story of Dr Lisa Blakemore-Brown – I’ve written about her case here, here and here. So has another blogger – a British doctor named Rita Pal who writes for the NHS Exposed blog and she linked to a document on the Furious Seasons website (as I did) which is transcript of Blakemore-Brown’s British Psychological Society hearing. The problem is that the BPS wanted to keep the transcript private (Blakemore-Brown did not).

It seems that Dr Pal has lost her job over this and now the General Medical Council, which regulates doctors in the UK, is investigating her.

This one is getting complicated so I suggest you go over to Furious Seasons now, where you’ll find a great article explaining everything.

[I wonder who you can complain to if you're not happy with the GMC itself?]