Scientists on brink of HIV cure

Researchers believe that there will be a breakthrough in finding a cure for HIV “within months”.

The Telegraph, Jake Wallis Simons, 27 Apr 2013

With modern HIV treatment if medication is stopped, HIV reservoirs become
active and start to produce more of the virus Photo: Alamy

Danish scientists are expecting results that will show that “finding a mass-distributable and affordable cure to HIV is possible”.

They are conducting clinical trials to test a “novel strategy” in which the HIV virus is stripped from human DNA and destroyed permanently by the immune system.

The move would represent a dramatic step forward in the attempt to find a cure for the virus, which causes Aids.

The scientists are currently conducting human trials on their treatment, in the hope of proving that it is effective. It has already been found to work in laboratory tests.

The technique involves releasing the HIV virus from “reservoirs” it forms in DNA cells, bringing it to the surface of the cells. Once it comes to the surface, the body’s natural immune system can kill the virus through being boosted by a “vaccine”.

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In vitro studies — those that use human cells in a laboratory — of the new technique proved so successful that in January, the Danish Research Council awarded the team 12 million Danish kroner (£1.5 million) to pursue their findings in clinical trials with human subjects.

These are now under way, and according to Dr Søgaard, the early signs are “promising”.

Dr Ole Søgaard, a senior researcher at the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark who is part of the research team, said: “I am almost certain that we will be successful in releasing the reservoirs of HIV.

“The challenge will be getting the patients’ immune system to recognise the virus and destroy it. This depends on the strength and sensitivity of individual immune systems.”

Fifteen patients are currently taking part in the trials, and if they are found to have successfully been cured of HIV, the “cure” will be tested on a wider scale.

Dr Søgaard stressed that a cure is not the same as a preventative vaccine, and that raising awareness of unsafe behaviour, including unprotected sex and sharing needles, remains of paramount importance in combating HIV.

With modern HIV treatment, a patient can live an almost normal life, even into old age, with limited side effects.

However, if medication is stopped, HIV reservoirs become active and start to produce more of the virus, meaning that symptoms can reappear within two weeks.

Finding a cure would free a patient from the need to take continuous HIV medication, and save health services billions of pounds.

The technique is being researched in Britain, but studies have not yet moved on to the clinical trial stage. Five universities — Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, London, University College, London and King’s College, London — have jointly formed the Collaborative HIV Eradication of Reservoirs UK Biomedical Research Centre group (CHERUB), which is dedicated to finding an HIV cure.

They have applied to the Medical Research Council for funding to conduct clinical trials, which will seek to combine techniques to release the reservoirs of HIV with immunotherapy to destroy the virus.

In addition, they are focusing on patients that have only recently been infected, as they believe this will improve chances of a cure. The group hopes to receive a funding decision in May.

“When the first patient is cured in this way it will be a spectacular moment,” says Dr John Frater, a clinical research fellow at the Nuffield School of Medicine, Oxford University, and a member of the CHERUB group.

“It will prove that we are heading in the right direction and demonstrate that a cure is possible. But I think it will be five years before we see a cure that can be offered on a large scale.”

The Danish team’s research is among the most advanced and fast moving in the world, as that they have streamlined the process of putting the latest basic science discoveries into clinical testing.

This means that researchers can progress more quickly to clinical trials, accelerating the process and reaching reliable results sooner than many others.

The technique uses drugs called HDAC Inhibitors, which are more commonly used in treating cancer, to drive out the HIV from a patient’s DNA. The Danish researchers are using a particularly powerful type of HDAC inhibitor called Panobinostat.

Five years ago, the general consensus was that HIV could not be cured. But then Timothy Ray Brown, an HIV sufferer — who has become known in the field as the Berlin Patient — developed leukaemia.

He had a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that made his cells resistant to HIV. As a result, in 2007 Mr Brown became the first man to ever be fully cured of the disease.

Replicating this procedure on a mass scale is impossible. Nevertheless, the Brown case caused a sea change in research, with scientists focusing on finding a cure as well as suppressing the symptoms.

Two principal approaches are currently being pursued. The first, gene therapy, aims to make a patient’s immune system resistant to HIV. This is complex and expensive, and not easily transferrable to diverse gene pools around the world.

The second approach is the one being pursued by Dr Søgaard and his colleagues in Denmark, the CHERUB group in Britain, and by other laboratories in the United States and Europe.

US sues Novartis for paying kickbacks

Google – AFP, 26 April 2013

Indian protesters march during a demonstration against Swiss drug

 manufacturer Novartis in Mumbai on December 21, 2012 (AFP/File,

Indranil Mukherjee)

NEW YORK — The US Justice Department on Friday accused drug maker Novartis of paying kickbacks to doctors to prescribe the company's drugs over rival products.

In the second US lawsuit against the Swiss firm this week, the Justice Department said its US unit Novartis Pharmaceuticals had boosted sales of its more expensive brand-name drugs by offering incentives to prescribing doctors that were ultimately paid for by public health-care programs.

The lawsuit, filed in the US district court in New York, alleged that, to promote Novartis drugs like Lotrel and Valturna, used for hypertension, and Starlix, for diabetes, the company paid doctors to make speeches at what were only "social occasions" and put on lavish dinners for the doctors.

The payoffs involved "thousands" of speaker programs in which the doctors "spent little or no time discussing the drug at issue."

"Instead, Novartis simply wined and dined the doctors at high-end restaurants with astronomical costs, as well as in sports bars, on fishing trips, and at other venues not conducive to an educational program," the suit said.

Such actions "were, in reality, kickbacks to the speakers and attendees to induce them to write prescriptions for Novartis drugs," the department said.

The payments violated the US Anti-Kickback Statute and led to the government paying "false claims" via its health-care programs for Novartis drugs.

On Tuesday the government filed suit against Novartis for paying kickbacks to pharmacies to substitute its drug Myfortic for cheaper generic drugs used to help transplant patients.

The payments to the pharmacies amounted to tens of millions of dollars, and took Myfortic sales in those pharmacies to $100 million, with nearly half that paid by the government's Medicare and Medicaid schemes, the suit said.

In a statement, Novartis disputed the claims of both cases, and said the government was expanding the definition of "kickback" beyond the law.

"Discounts and rebates by pharmaceutical companies are a customary, appropriate and legal practice as recognized by the government itself."

The government's stance, Novartis said, "threatens to undermine pharmaceutical company discounting practices that benefit both consumers and payers, including the government."

In addition, it said, "physician speaker programs are an accepted and customary practice in the industry."

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HIV vaccine trial ends in failure: official

Google – AFP, 25 April 2013

A researcher works on samples at a lab, May 21, 2010 (Getty Images/AFP/

File, Chris Hondros)

WASHINGTON — US authorities announced Thursday they have halted clinical trials of an experimental vaccine designed to halt the virus that leads to AIDS after discovering it did not stop infection.

The program, which began in 2009, is the latest in a series of unsuccessful studies of candidate vaccines aimed at tackling HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said volunteers in 19 US cities -- either gay men or transgender people who had sex with men -- took part in the study, with the HVTN 505 vaccine given to 1,250 and 1,244 receiving a placebo.

A panel analyzed the results of the study on April 22 and recommended halting the program after findings indicated 41 infections among those who had received the vaccine versus 30 in the placebo group.

The NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health that funded the clinical trial, said it planned to continue to follow the participants to further analyze the results of the study.

An estimated 34 million people are infected with HIV worldwide, including 3.4 million children.

AIDS has killed 30 million people since the beginning of the epidemic 30 years ago and an estimated 1.8 million people die from the disease each year.

GlaxoSmithKline accused of market 'abuse'

BBC News, 19 April 2013

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GlaxoSmithKline accused of
market 'abuse' by the OFT

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been accused of market "abuse" by the consumer watchdog, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

The OFT alleges that the pharmaceutical giant paid rivals to delay the release their own versions of GSK's Seroxat treatment.

Alpharma, Generics UK and Norton Healthcare all received money not to enter the market with their copies of Seroxat, it said.

GSK said it "acted within the law".

"GSK supports fair competition," it said.

"In fact, these arrangements actually resulted in generic versions of paroxetine entering the market before GSK's patents had expired," the company said in a statement.

Moreover, it added that "the OFT investigation covers matters that have already been investigated by the European Commission in 2005-2006".

"In March 2012 the Commission announced that it had formally concluded its enquiry with no further action," it said.

"The issues were also reviewed in the European Commission's 2008-2009 Sector Inquiry. Neither investigation resulted in any sanctions against the company."

Dominant player

The generic drug makers were attempting to supply the UK market with their versions of paroxetine, which GlaxoSmithKline brands as Seroxat, the OFT said. Seroxat is used to treat depression.

GSK accused them of infringing its patent, so to resolve this dispute Glaxo effectively paid the three companies off, according to the OFT.

"The paroxetine supply agreements under investigation were terminated in 2004," GSK said.

If proven, the allegations would be an infringement on the part of all the parties of competition law and on the part of GlaxoSmithKline an abuse of its dominant place in the market.

"The introduction of generic medicines can lead to strong competition on price, which can drive savings for the NHS, to the benefit of patients and, ultimately, taxpayers," said Ann Pope, senior director of services, infrastructure and public markets at the OFT.

"It is therefore particularly important that the OFT fully investigates concerns that independent generic entry may have been delayed in this case."

The firms will now be asked to respond to its allegations, before the OFT makes a decision on whether or not competition law has been infringed.

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Utrecht hopes to set up cannabis clubs - for medical research

DutchNews.nl, Wednesday 17 April 2013

Two foundations in Utrecht are to apply for exemption from the opium laws so they can set up ‘cannabis clubs’ to grow marijuana for medical research with city council backing, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday.

Council alderman Victor Everhardt, who is behind the plans, hopes his ‘cannabis club’ concept can become a reality on public health grounds.

The aim of the experiment, says the Volkskrant, is to find out if the club’s members' psychological condition improves, if ‘home grown’ marijuana is less dangerous than that sold in the country’s coffee shops, and if cannabis club members cause less of a public nuisance.

Crime

The city council says the clubs would be a suitable alternative to coffee shops, which are largely supplied by organised crime.

In addition, coffee shop marijuana is often grown using large amounts of chemicals and its THC percentage – the active ingredient – can be above 15%. The government is planning to treat marijuana with a higher THC content as a hard drug.

A number of cities have recently called on the government to regulate marijuana production, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Groningen, Nijmegen and Zwolle. Everhardt told the Volkskrant his plan is different.

Members

For example, the club would have a maximum 100 members, he said.

Lawyer André Beckers, who specialises in cannabis and coffee shop policy, said the health angle offers more options. ‘In America there are enough medical marijuana shops which look suspiciously like our coffee shops,’ he told the paper.

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Pharma sector changes as generic market grows

Deutsche Welle, 10 April 2013

Medicine can save lives if you can get it and afford it. But now, generics are a cheaper alternative to more expensive brand name drugs.

Generics no longer only play a major role in developing and emerging countries. In industrialized countries, healthcare costs continue to spiral. Generics are a way of reducing those costs - they can be up to 90 percent cheaper than a brand name drug. In recent years, many pharmaceutical companies have lost the exclusive rights to produce some of their most popular drugs, which generated billions in revenue. Now that the drugs can be made more cheaply as generics, healthcare systems and patients are saving money.

The generics drugs industry recently scored a major victory in India. The country highest court decided that Indian manufacturers can continue making generic versions of Novartis' Gleevec, a drug that has been effective in treating some forms of leukemia.

New markets for the pharmaceutical industry

While older markets shrink, drug makers will have to tap into new markets so that they can continue to make a profit. And there is evidence that the pharmaceutical industry is more global than it was. Most of the medication which was only available in developed countries is now being sold worldwide.

"We are observing that multinational pharmaceutical companies in recent years have increasingly been seeking markets in developing and emerging countries," says Christian Wagner-Ahlfs of the BUKO-Pharmakampagne in Bielefeld. The independent campaign has been examining the role of major pharmaceuticals for more than 30 years, especially insofar as the industry's business practices have affected developing countries.

Now, a middle and upper class that is willingly to pay for drugs is growing in developing and emerging economies.

"They are of course interesting customers, because they can also afford expensive medication," Wagner-Ahlfs says.

The line between generic and brand
 drugs is becoming greyer," says
Christian Wagner-Ahlf

Even the increasing numbers in poorer classes need to be supplied with cheap generic drugs. And because every cent counts, it might be worth producing the drugs locally. But that doesn't always apply, says Wagner-Ahlfs: "In that case, referring to the list of the WHO's essential medicines makes total sense."

Same agents, different name

The World Health Organization regularly makes a list of the most important drugs around the world. At the moment, 340 chemical agents can be used to treat 90 percent of all diseases. In Germany, some 2,400 agents and around 90,000 drugs are authorized, according to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). Most of the drugs authorized in Germany are generics. It doesn't make a difference for patients.

"The line between generic and brand drugs is becoming greyer," says Wagner-Ahlf: today, most major pharmaceuticals produce one or more generics as well as their branded products.

"Around 80 percent of the agents are made in India or China. It doesn't matter whether that product is for a generic manufacturer or a multinational brand drug maker," he adds.

It's no surprise that these countries dominate the market: production facilities are up to 40 percent cheaper in India than in European countries. Labor costs are also lower and there are also trained personnel that the pharmaceutical industry needs.

The end production of the drug, by a registered company that guarantees it with its reputation, can take place anywhere in the world where production standards are adhered to. The WHO has very strict regulations on hygiene and authorization standards, control mechanisms and quality assurance.

Local pharmatical industry

Christoph Bonsmann is a board
 member of a charity that helps the
 pharma sector in developing countries

It is still very difficult for many developing countries to fulfill the WHO's conditions. But local drug production could definitely help improve medical provision in those countries.

"I see there especially the advantage of availability above everything else," says Christoph Bonsmann, pharmacist and board member of German Medical Aid Organisation action medeor. The organization supports efforts to build local drug production in Africa.

Local production doesn't necessarily have to be cheaper than imports, says Bonsmann. But reliable drug supply for diseases like TB, malaria, HIV-AIDS or some of the new global diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes is still lacking in many developing countries. A local pharmaceutical industry with a well-developed distribution system could considerably improve drug supplies, especially in rural areas.

But Bonsmann cautions, "With local production, you have to be sure that people don't justify poor quality for political reasons." Local pharmaceutical production is often seen as a showcase project. "I see the main deficit in the lack of consistent and continuous conrol by the authorities," says Bonsmann.

Drugs on the black market

In many countries, illegally produced, sometimes smuggled drugs are flooding the informal market. If the drugs are bought from traders on the market, there is neither specialist advice nor a guarantee that the drug has been tested.

"That is the major challenge because the authorities are usually understaffed, they are often not properly motivated and underpaid," says Bonsmann.

For eight years, Susanne Held headed the pharmacy of Saint Bendict's Hospital in Ndanda, south Tanzania. She had good experiences with both imported and locally made drugs. But the hospital only bought its drugs from wholesalers with a good reputation.

"There were no complaints from patients that medicines didn't work properly, and the doctors in the hospital also didn't complain. So I suspect that we were very lucky the whole time." she says.

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Horsemeat scandal: Dutch recall 50,000 tonnes of meat

BBC News, 10 April 2013

Horsemeat scandal

• Table of test results
• Q&A: Meat scandal and response
• What is the FSA?
• Horsemeat - food fraud, not food safety

The horsemeat scandal has
damaged European consumer confidence
in processed food

Dutch authorities have recalled some 50,000 tonnes of meat sold as beef across Europe, over fears that it may contain horsemeat.

The meat was being recalled because its exact source could not be verified, Dutch food authorities said.

The meat was supplied by Dutch trading companies Wiljo Import en Export B.V. and Vleesgroothandel Willy Selten.

About 130 companies in the Netherlands and some 370 more around Europe are affected by the recall.

There was no evidence that the meat was a threat to human health, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority said.

Inspectors examining the Dutch trading companies' records found that the origin of the supplied meat was unclear, officials added.

As a result it was not possible to confirm whether slaughterhouses had respected procedures.

'Might contain horsemeat'

Some of the meat was exported to Germany, France and Spain. The authorities in those countries have been alerted.

"It might contain traces of horsemeat, but we don't know for certain at the moment if this is the case," the Dutch food authority said on Wednesday.

"The buyers have probably already processed the meat and sold it on. They, in turn, are obliged to inform their own customers."

Horse DNA has been found in numerous processed beef frozen meals across Europe.

In February, Dutch officials raided a meat processing plant suspected of mislabelling beef and withdrew suspicious products from supermarket shelves.

The mislabelled meat was also discovered in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany.

In response, EU member states have launched tests for horse DNA in processed beef foods and to detect a medicinal drug used on horses.

Related Article:

Netherlands recalls 50,000 tonnes of meat

Taiwan could produce H7N9 vaccine within 2 months: official

Want China Times, CNA and Staff Reporter 2013-04-09

A shot in the arm for bird flu vaccine hopes? (Photo/China Times)

Once Taiwan obtains samples of the new H7N9 bird flu virus, it will be able to produce vaccines within two months, a health official said Monday.

Department of Health deputy minister Lin Tzou-yien said there are three ways to obtain the H7N9 virus — through the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, and China.

He said that if the virus comes from China, it will take two months to purify and screen it before vaccine production can begin. If, however, it can be obtained from the WHO or the CDC, then production can begin immediately.

"Taiwan is capable of completing production and starting clinical tests in six to eight weeks," he said.

He noted that currently, the H7N9 situation in China is still at the level-three stage (animal and limited human infection, with no human-to-human infection).

Should it be upgraded to level four (human-to-human infection and continuous community infection), the Executive Yuan will issue an emergency decree.

In such a scenario, vaccine production will skip the two-stage human tests that constitute normal procedure, Lin said.

The government will also prioritize vaccination for high-risk groups such as those in regular contact with poultry and front-line medical personnel.

Whether to include Taiwanese businessmen operating in H7N9-affected areas of China will need further assessment, Lin added.

The CDC has listed the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui, as well as the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing, as areas affected by the H7N9 virus.

The health department also said that two Taiwanese epidemiologists that traveled to Shanghai over the weekend to learn more about China's strategy for combating the new bird flu strain will also have discussions with the Chinese authorities about obtaining the H7N9 virus.

China has confirmed 24 cases of H7N9 flu, with seven deaths so far.

Nutricia makes 'wrong' claims about Alzheimer food supplement

DutchNews.nl, Monday 08 April 2013

Specialty food group Nutricia wrongly told Dutch doctors that a new food supplement for Alzheimer patients had been included in a list of standard treatments for dementia, the NRC reported on Monday.

Nutricia produces a drink supplement called Souvenaid which contains ingredients said to be helpful in supporting memory functions. Although not a medicine, as a functional food the drink may be covered by some health insurance policies, the NRC said.

In a letter to doctors at Souvenaid's launch, Nutricia referred to the official dementia treatment protocol. This, Nutricia said, mentioned scientific research which showed that special dietary products can have a 'significant positive effect' on the memory of patients in the early stages of the disease.

However, this appears to have been taken from an early draft of the protocol and was later scrapped. The official document now states the effect of medical foodstuffs is 'still unclear'.

A spokesman for the food safety body NVWA said in referring to the dementia protocol, Nutricia could be making a 'medical claim' for Souvenaid. This is not allowed, the NVWA said.

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You are Multidimensional - Celebrate Your Life! -  6 April 2008 (a message from Goddess of Creation channeled by Shelly Dressel)

Question: Why are so many new humans developing autism at this time?  Is there a purpose? Is there something we can do to assist them?  And then in addition to that, is there a correlation between autism and Alzheimer's?

Goddess: Autism is very much on people's mind at this time upon the earth.  It is a term that has been given to many children.  It is a definition that people give to a child as a means of trying to understand their behavior or how they think or how they are within their life.  Autism as you know it right now is but a fraction of what it truly is going to indicate in the future.  Many of the individuals that are being termed autistic are not necessarily autistic.  Autism in and of itself is a disconnection within.  Or you could say it's that these people have a different way of being able to communicate from others around them.  So when we say disconnect, it's not that they have fully disconnected with the other individuals; it's just that they are vibrating and living and experiencing life on a different level or a different plane.

Many have said that those who are autistic have their feet in two different dimensions or in multiple dimensions; yes, that is true.  Many have said that those children who are autistic have a short in their wiring as if there are aspects that are not working in this individual and this I would like to disagree with.  What's happening is, you are getting children especially who are of very high vibrations that are incorporating more of the crystalline vibration and less of the dense energies that have been upon the earth for the last several thousand years.

Therefore the electrical impulses that move through a crystal as opposed to the electrical impulses that move through a regular individual we shall just say or someone with regular wiring, there's going to be much less resistance, therefore their whole metabolism, everything about them is functioning on a completely different basis.

This journey tonight was to assist each one of you in recognizing just how much you are moving between dimensions.  These children that come in with these special gifts are used to moving (between dimensions) and they do it unconsciously.  To them, their sense of awareness, their sense of reality is very different from your own.  They may live in other realities while their physical body is here upon the earth.  Provide them with the structure that they may need to be able to function in society but also recognize that these are highly evolved individuals and respect that about them.

There may be crystals, there may be colors, there may be vibrations, things that emanate a vibration that assist the children in feeling more comfortable in their skin, in their reality.  If you are one of the individuals that would like to work with them or you find yourself perhaps having a child with these symptoms, go and open your senses and communicate from that of an expanded consciousness from the fifth, sixth or even seventh dimension.  Communicate from your heart, communicate without words, communicate through feelings and energies and you will find there's a great deal of information they are sharing with you.  These children are extremely sensitive so be aware of that and what is in their environment.

When it comes to Alzheimer's, there are some parallel pathways that one could point out.  Alzheimer's is a means of an individual beginning to cross over, beginning that journey back to this side of the veil but they have not yet fully chosen to return so they move at their own pace, experiencing whatever it is that they seek to experience.  And that is one reason why Alzheimer's seems to affect people for years at a time.  So while there are some similarities, that's as far as that goes.  Alzheimer's is a time to love and nurture an individual and again accept that this is their choice and this is their path.

Towards the end they are spending more and more of their reality in this other dimension.  For some it's a means of allowing them to feel comfortable with where they are going before they transition.  What you can do with them is also communicate from the heart, communicate without words. Assist them in being comfortable in other vibrations and assist them in being comfortable with the light and they will transition when the time is right for them.

I knew that this was something that was affecting many, many people and that is why I chose to give it a little bit more time and connection, and I thank you all for your patience. 

"THE THREE WINDS" – Feb 23-24, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: Humanity, Home - other side of the veil, Wind of Birth - Birth, Wind of Existence - Life, Wind of Transition - Death)

"Viewing the Other Side of the Veil" - January 7, 2007 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text Version)

Canadian scientist on the run after trying to export pathogen to China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-04-08

Both Yu and Nielsen are former employees of the
 Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (File photo/CFP)

A former Canadian Food Inspection Agency researcher is believed to be on the run after her co-conspirator was arrested for trying to transport a highly contagious bacteria out of the country to China.

Wei Ling Yu is now the subject of a Canada-wide warrant after fellow researcher, 67-year-old Klaus Nielsen, was arrested last October on his way the country's Ottawa airport in possession of 17 vials of pathogen — live brucella bacteria that can infect livestock and humans. If inhaled, it can infect people with flu-like symptoms and was once regarded as an ideal biological weapon used by US authorities after World War II to kill the livestock and sicken the populations of enemy countries.

According to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police last week, Nielsen and Yu are accused of working to commercialize intellectual property belonging to the CFIA and sell the bacteria abroad.

Nielsen had been a seasoned researcher of the bacteria and was part of a team scientists that won a CFIA Technology Transfer Award in 2003 for developing a 15-second test for detecting brucellosis in cattle, the disease caused by brucella.

He is set to appear in a Canadian court on April 17, while Yu, a resident of Ottawa, is believed to be in hiding in China. Local police declined to confirm if extradition would be an option if Yu is apprehended overseas.

Authorities had been investigating Nielsen and Yu since March 2011 after receiving a tip from the CFIA. Both are charged with breach of trust by a public officer, with Nielsen also facing charges under Canada's Export and Import Permits Act, Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act and Human Pathogens and Toxins Act.

Drug companies pay doctors £40m for travel and expenses

Total spend on consultancy fees and junkets by 35 suppliers revealed by trade body in move to greater transparency

The Guardian, Sarah Boseley, health editor,  Friday 5 April 2013

Doctors deny that taking money from pharmaceutical companies influences
 their judgment about what medicine to prescribe. Photograph: Paul Hardy/Corbis

Drug companies are paying an estimated £40m a year to British doctors in service fees, flights, hotel and other travel expenses, according to the trade body that represents pharmaceutical companies.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said that most of the 44 biggest companies had now revealed how much they paid doctors to help market their drugs. Its aggregated total of £40m is based on 35 suppliers who have shared precise information with the body and estimates for the rest.

The largest British group, GlaxoSmithKline, spent £1.9m on fees for advice and consultancy on 1,517 UK-based doctors, an average of £1,252 each. It also sponsored 1,022 doctors and other healthcare professionals to attend scientific conferences and meetings, at a total cost of £887,294 – an average of £868 per trip.

Doctors have always denied that taking drug company money influences their judgement in any way about a medicine, but suspicions have lingered.

Doctors sometimes ask for sponsorship to go to international meetings, which they argue they need to attend to keep up with developments in their field. Their hospitals cannot afford to pay their flights and hotel bills, they say.

Thousands of doctors have their flights, registration fees and hotels paid for when they attend major international conferences on cancer or cardiology. They are transported to top restaurants by their sponsoring company and socialise with its staff. Many of the speakers who take to the platform to talk about the benefits of new medicines are senior doctors who are earning a consultancy fee from a pharmaceutical firm.

AstraZeneca, the other major British company, separates out the payments from its UK office and those from its "global teams and international affiliates". The UK office paid £671,400 in fees to 903 doctors plus £30,200 for their travel and hotel bills. Some doctors carried out more than one engagement. Their average earnings including expenses came to £776.96.

But those who were paid by the global teams did far better. A total of £563,000 including expenses was paid out to 93 individuals, giving an average of £6,053.76. However, the 93 people were involved in 304 activities, which gave them an average fee, including expenses, of £1,851.97.

Unlike AstraZeneca, GSK said it had added in payments from its offices abroad, because many of the doctors who receive payment for advice and consultation are global experts.

AstraZeneca, however, did not sponsor any doctors to go to conferences in 2012, a major departure for a pharmaceutical company, because the bad publicity surrounding drug company junkets made it rethink its policy.

In 2005, the Commons health select committee warned in a report that the industry's sponsorship of doctors and other medical staff had drug promotion as its motive and could lead to the unsafe prescribing of drugs such as Vioxx, the arthritis drug which was found to cause heart attacks.

AstraZeneca only supports "a limited number of doctors to attend international conferences in connection with contracted services", it said, which means they would earn fees for speaking rather than being sponsored to listen.

It said it was not offering lavish expenses. "We have embedded robust controls in our process for supporting travel and accommodation to ensure that it is only provided in a lawful manner that is consistent with our commitment to integrity," AstraZeneca said.

Andrew Powrie-Smith, director of the ABPI, said he did not think having to publish what the pharmaceutical industry spent on doctors would tend to make most companies less generous.

Powrie-Smith said: "Industry in the UK is proud of its collaboration with health professionals. A fifth of the top 100 medicines in the UK have come from this collaboration. But there is increasing demand for transparency in the relationship. I don't see that it will have a particularly negative impact over their willingness to support medical education."

At the moment, drug companies are only required to publish their total outlay on doctors. By 2016, however, the European trade body is expecting them to publish the names of the individual doctors they pay. If this happens, the industry will have moved further and faster than the NHS on transparency. All hospital trusts are supposed to keep a register of payments to their staff in case of conflicts of interest, but not all are complete and they are not always available to the public.

The ABPI agreed in 2010 that all companies would publish their total payments to healthcare professionals.