By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ At a time Sri Lanka is gripped with a deadly disease ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Dengue fever– andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the government and health authorities are scratching their headsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  engaged in all sorts of operations and cleaning up of the environment and imposing fines on those who allow mosquito to breed inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  a desperate attempt to combat the disease andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  save life,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Joe de LiveraƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  who is the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…” the Sri LankanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  representative for Homeopaths without Borders ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  made an appeal to the President on an effective homeopathic remedyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  with whichƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  he has cured many free of charge.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  AmongƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  those who recoveredƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  within hours of administration of thisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  homeopathic preparation were ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…” almost dying patientsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢; in certainƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  cases patientsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ hospital bills hadƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  sky rocked up to Rs.200,000ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  for PanadolƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  & IV !

Joe de LiveraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s humanitarian efforts were highlighted by me in a feature article under the caption ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”A vision and a Mission to combat Dengue ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Joe de Livera appeals to the PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ which I posted to all the English newspapers in Sri Lanka only to be disappointed and frustrated to notice that humanism had been superseded by an unfathomable ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”force(s)ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ or warped thinking of the Fourth Estate giants that it was consigned to the nearest dust bin!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

I raise my hat to www.lankaweb.com who immediately saw the importance of the article and posted it in the world wide web which has helped the Sri Lankan society, atƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  least who has access to the Internet.

In my post on Lankaweb I highlighted the single handed effort that Joe De Livera was involved in to save our Nation from the ravages of Dengue which has claimed over 85 lives for the last 6 months of this year in the Western Province alone.

At a meeting held recently convened by the Mayor of Colombo, it was decided that the Homeopathic Association of Sri Lanka to ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ hold camps in 4 locations in the city where the single remedy that can CURE Dengue would be distributed free of charge by a team of Homeopathic doctors on June 30 and July 1 in 4 locations in the city. The response was gratifying as over 1000 patients attended these camps and were each given the remedy after they registered their name and address. It now remains to be seen as to how the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ distribution of this medicine will affect the spread of Dengue in the areas where the patients lived.

Joe De Livera has also been quoted in an Editorial in the Daily Mirror of September 17 2011 which is copiedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  below entitled :

THE PILL POPPING CULTURE -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  (Daily Mirror Editorial) Saturday, 17 September 2011

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- Most of us have been brainwashed into believing that life is only possible to be lived to the fullest if the requisite medicinal drugs are taken on a regular basis. Regular health checks are promoted and are being carried out in private hospitals after which the patient is advised by the consultant that unless the drugs prescribed are used, the chances of the patient surviving without catching some life threatening disease in the future are high. It is strange that the patient who does not have any disease is often frightened into taking drugs which can be considered as being unnecessary or non-essential, and are usually sold at high prices often in some hospital pharmacies.

This has led to a pill popping culture that many innocent people, especially those in the upper strata of society, have been following for many years,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  purely as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”insuranceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to ensure that they do not succumb to some disease that has been vaguely mentioned. They are not aware that their reports on blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar are found normal but they have been told it is best to take some drugs to avert the formation of cholesterol and plaque in the arteries and thereby ensure that a possible heart attack in later years, is averted.

It is rarely that the patient is advised to control his or her diet and refrain from eating fatty foods with special reference to fast foods and to also start a daily exercise routine to ensure that he or she sweats it out and replaces the sweat lost with liquids preferably water, in adequate quantities to ensure that the body is kept at peak efficiency.

The unsuspecting patient is not aware that most of the drugs taken have some side effects on the body and this often results in another drug being given at a later consultation to treat the problems caused by the first.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is also possible that these unnecessary drugs can predispose the patient to other problems and also to be infected by a wide range of diseases including dengue for which there is no known curative drug. But according to Joe De Livera, Sri Lankan representative for Homoeopaths without Borders, a homoeopathic remedy is available for dengue and any other viral flu ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” as referred to in one of our editorials recently. This is known as Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200c, which is used internationally and has in Sri Lanka, saved the lives of many who caught this disease and were fortunate enough to use this Remedy within a few days after being infected by this highly infectious disease.

Public health experts emphasise that western medical drugs alone cannot possibly cure all diseases in Sri Lanka. There are many forms of alternate medicine practiced here including Ayurveda and Homeopathy both of which are established and practiced and can be co-opted to cure disease, especially Dengue. Unfortunately Homeopathic remedies are not used officially by the medical profession in hospitals where patients continue to suffer as a result of a lack of a National Health Policy. It is fortunate in India that these two curative sciences are accepted and officially used by the government side by side with western medicine to help cure diseases.

Billions of rupees are being spent in importing more than 10,000 varieties of drugs under various brand names. Public health experts have appealed that the state health authorities open their eyes to the realities of life and follow the example of India and make greater use of both Ayurveda and Homeopathy in alleviating human suffering andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  eradicating disease.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

It was with some glee that I read a reference to a vast racket that GlaxoSmithKline had perpetrated on the long suffering public which was taken up by the Supreme Courts in the US recently. BBC News on July 2 reported the largest fine that had been levied by the US Courts on GlaxoSmithKline of the princely sum of $3 BILLION on the largest healthcare fraud that had been perpetrated by this multimillion dollar conglomerate at the cost of thousands of lives that they had deluded into believing could only be lived if they used the 4 drugs they marketed: Paxil, Wellbutrin and Avandia.

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ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-2 July 2012 BBC

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-GlaxoSmithKline to pay $3bn in US drug fraud scandal

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to pay $3bn (ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚£1.9bn) in the largest healthcare fraud settlement in US history.

The drug giant is to plead guilty to promoting two drugs for unapproved uses and failing to report safety data about a diabetes drug to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The settlement will cover criminal fines as well as civil settlements with the federal and state governments.

The case concerns the drugs Paxil, Wellbutrin and Avandia.

Deputy US Attorney General James Cole told a news conference in Washington DC that the settlement was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-unprecedented in both size and scopeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

Doctors bribed

GSK, one of the worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s largest healthcare and pharmaceuticals companies, admitted to promoting antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved uses, including treatment of children and adolescents.

The illegal practice is known as off-label marketing.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The company also conceded charges that it held back data and made unsupported safety claims over its diabetes drug Avandia. In addition, GSK has been found guilty of paying kickbacks to doctors.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The sales force bribed physicians to prescribe GSK products using every imaginable form of high-priced entertainment, from Hawaiian vacations [and] paying doctors millions of dollars to go on speaking tours, to tickets to Madonna concerts,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ said US attorney Carmin OrtizƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-As part of the settlement, GSK agreed to be monitored by government officials for five yearsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-GSK said in a statement it would pay the fines through existing cash resourcesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Andrew Witty, the firmƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s chief executive, said procedures for compliance, marketing and selling had been changed at GSKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s US unitƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We have learnt from the mistakes that were made,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Mr Witty said. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-When necessary, we have removed employees who have engaged in misconduct.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

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Reuters

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Glaxo settles healthcare fraud case for $3 billionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Washington: GlaxoSmithKline Plc agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges and pay $3 billion to settle what government officials on Monday described as the largest case of healthcare fraud in US historyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The agreement, which still needs court approval, would resolve allegations that the British drugmaker broke US laws in the marketing and development of pharmaceuticalsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-GSK targeted the antidepressant Paxil to patients under age 18 when it was approved for adults only, and it pushed the drug Wellbutrin for uses it was not approved for, including weight loss and treatment of sexual dysfunction, according to an investigation led by the US Justice DepartmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The company went to extreme lengths to promote the drugs, such as distributing a misleading medical journal article and providing doctors with meals and spa treatments that amounted to illegal kickbacks, prosecutors saidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-In a third instance, GSK failed to give the US Food and Drug Administration safety data about its diabetes drug Avandia, in violation of US law, prosecutors saidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The misconduct continued for years beginning in the late 1990s and continued, in the case of AvandiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s safety data, through 2007. GSK agreed to plead guilty to three misdemeanor criminal counts, one each related to the three drugs.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Guilty pleas in cases of alleged corporate misconduct are exceedingly rare, making GSKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s agreement especially unusualƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The agreement to settle the charges ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-is unprecedented in both size and scope,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ said James Cole, the No 2 official at the US Justice Department. He called the action ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-historicƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-a clear warning to any company that chooses to break the law.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The settlement includes $1 billion in criminal fines and $2 billion in civil finesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-GSK said in a statement it would pay the fines through existing cash resources. The company announced a $3 billion charge in November related to legal claimsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

New ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”eraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at GSK

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Chief Executive Officer Andrew Witty said the misconduct originated ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-in a different era for the companyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and will not be tolerated. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”I want to express our regret and reiterate that we have learnt from the mistakes that were made,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ he said in a written statementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The GSK settlement surpasses what had been the largest criminal case involving a drug maker in US history. In 2009, Pfizer Inc agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle allegations it improperly marketed 13 drugsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The cases follow a trend of US authorities cracking down on how pharmaceuticals are sold, in part because of the rising cost of providing drugs through government programmesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Part of civil fines address allegations that, from 1994 to 2003, GSK underpaid money owed to Medicaid, the healthcare program for the poor run jointly by states and the federal government. The company had an obligation to tell the government its ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-best pricesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ but failed to do so, prosecutors said, and $300 million of the settlement will go to states and other public health authoritiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-A portion of the $2 billion in civil fines may go to a group of whistleblowers who contributed to the governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s investigation and who are eligible to share in the recovery under the False Claims Act. Cole said the amount has not been determinedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”IntegrityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ plan

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-As part of the settlement, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to new restrictions by the US government to prevent the use of kickbacks or other prohibited practices. The inspector general of the US Department of Health and Human Services will oversee the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Corporate Integrity AgreementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ for five yearsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The company will not be able to compensate its salesmen based on sales goals for territories. It was also required to change its executive compensation program to allow the company to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-claw backƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ certain pay for those engaged in misconductƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Witty said GSKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s US unit has ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-fundamentally changed our procedures for compliance, marketing and selling. When necessary, we have removed employees who have engaged in misconduct.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Prosecutors have not brought criminal charges against any individuals in connection with the GSK case, although the settlement expressly leaves open that possibility. Cole declined to comment on the possibility of future chargesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Almost exactly a year ago GSK agreed to pay nearly $41 million to 37 states and the District of Columbia in an unrelated case about substandard manufacturing processes at a Puerto Rico factoryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-In 2010, the company took a $2.4 billion charge in connection with Avandia to settle claims from patientsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

The case is US vs GlaxoSmithKline LLC, US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, No 12-cr-10206.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚