BBC: GlaxoSmithKline bribed Polish doctors
22:50
According to the BBC, British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline’ (GSK) regional manager paid Polish doctors to promote the company’s asthma drug Seretide. “There is a simple equation. ... We pay doctors, they give us prescriptions. We don't pay doctors, we don't see prescriptions for our drugs,” former sales rep for GSK in Łódź, Jarek Wiśniewski told BBC Panorama.
“We cannot go to doctors and say to them, 'I need 20 more prescriptions'. So we prepare an agreement for them to give a talk to patients, we pay £100, but we expect more than 100 prescriptions for this drug,” Wiśniewski explained.
So far eleven Polish doctors and GSK regional manager have been charged over alleged corruption by Polish prosecution. Prosecution claims that doctors received money for lectures which were supposed to be part of the GSK training program. The lectures never happened.
“We continue to investigate these matters and are co-operating fully with the [Poland’s] Central Anticorruption Bureau,” GSK representative explained.
