As Florida class action prescription drug lawyers, we are pleased to see the FBI is hot on the trail of drug manufacturers who pay foreign doctors to run their drug trials abroad. Last month the FDA found that the diabetes drug Avandia’s overseas trials revealed considerable risks for heart disease; but were not counted in the drug’s overall test results.
In the US it is illegal for drug manufacturers to “pay” physicians to write prescriptions. Instead they persuade doctors with special presentations at conventions and high end steakhouses to prescribe drugs like Yaz or Yazmin. Foreign doctors often work for their governments. And if the FBI discovers that these doctors were paid to prescribe drugs or manipulate the results of trials; the manufacturers run the risk of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
This is now the time for the FDA and Obama Administration to finally clean up the process for approving prescription drugs. Eliminating foreign trials until they can be varied and accurately reported, would be a start.
Yasmin is an oral contraceptive pill made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. that has been linked to heart attack, stroke, and blood clots in users. Women taking the drug to prevent pregnancy or to treat emotional and physical symptoms of PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) and moderate acne have suffered severe injuries and even died as a result.
