Sex-for-Studies Affairs: AstraZeneca Gets It On
source: http://industry.bnet.com/pharma/10001344/astrazenecas-seroquel-research-director-confessed-t...
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The confessions include descriptions of sex in hotel rooms paid for by AZ, illicit distribution of Vicodin, and a kinky relationship in which one of his colleagues asked to be “punished” for looking at a study that had negative results for Seroquel.
MacFadden told that woman: “You will be punished (in the usual fashion!) when I see you … but perhaps more harshly this time!!!”
He made the confession to the lawyers — who are suing AstraZeneca for allegedly failing to warn patients that side effects of the drug include significant weight gain and diabetes — as part of a deposition prior to the current litigation going on in Florida...
Between 2002 and 2006, MacFadden said he had slept with two executives who worked for AZ or its research agencies. He offered Vicodin to one of them. He also attempted to get confidential information about Bristol-Myers Squibb’s FDA filing for a bipolar depression approval for rival drug Abilify, via a woman he was sleeping with...
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- Ethics, Corporate Greed, Sex Crimes, Corporate espionage, 2 more
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echoz
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"And that's not all...it gets worse...
"MacFadden also hired a medical communications firm, Parexel, based in Waltham, MA to ghostwrite manuscripts about Seroquel for medical journals and create scientific slides, posters and fliers for medical conferences and association meetings.
"Court documents reveal AstraZeneca paid Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Michael J. Reinstein $40,000 a year for ten years to chat up Seroquel to other doctors and promoted his "study" that showed Seroquel caused weight loss not weight gain-you heard right-despite its diabetes and weight gain dangers which were known by the company since 2000..."
- 2 years ago
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echoz
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AstraZeneca's Sex-for-Studies Seroquel Scandal: Did Research Chief Bias the Science?
(a convenient digest for you here if you can't be bothered to follow the link:)
The IOP researcher suggested that Macfadden would ‘punish’ her if she even looked at studies that were favorable to Seroquel’s competitors. He actively encouraged her to conduct research the results of which would be favorable to Seroquel and AstraZeneca, and promised sexual favors in exchange for intelligence on Astrazeneca’s competitiors.
In addition to his sexual involvement with the Parexel program manager, it appears he [Macfadden] also provided her with prescription painkillers.
Macfadden agreed that sexual relationships between clinical researchers and management members of pharmaceutical companies can create bias which can affect the integrity of the science. Macfadden also acknowledged that sexual relationships can affect a person’s judgment. Although Macfadden denies that his multiple sexual relationships with these women created a conflict of interest, he in fact teased the IOP researcher about the obvious conflict of interest as he reviewed drafts of her papers on Seroquel.”
Macfadden has admitted to additional sexual affairs with a clinical researcher assistant at AstraZeneca and a clinical researcher in California also involved in the Seroquel clinical trials....
- 2 years ago
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echoz
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The Research Ethics Blog also reports:
The Bnet article also includes snippets from various depositions, including juicy/sordid bits like this exchange between MacFadden and a lawyer:
Q: Sir, you’re using sex to try to get trade secrets out of Bristol-Myers Squibb to benefit AstraZeneca. That’s not only unethical, that’s illegal, isn’t it?
A: I don’t know that.
Q: You were pumping her for information, correct? I withdraw that question. You were trying to get information out of her?
A: It appears that I asked her for information.That's not how research is supposed to be done. That's not how innovation is supposed to go. Then again, it's a system full of humans. That's not a justification. Just an observation.
- 2 years ago
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echoz
