[Ip-health] Court case in Argentina: Fraud by Novartis and Max Foundation targets patients

[Joana Ramos]

[ Converted text/html to text/plain ]
  Healthy Skepticism's International News section recently posted a transla=
ted
article about a current legal case in Argentina alleging  carefully -planne=
d
fraud of the government and in turn , of patients, by  Novartis through its
Glivec international donation program GIPAP.  The case was filed by a whist=
le
blowers, a former employee of  Max Foundation, the  NGO that  administers t=
he
donation program for Novartis.  According to documents provided to the cour=
ts,
Novartis  would give patients, via the donation program,  one month's free
supply of Glivec on the condition that they would then sue their respective
health care facilities to make them buy the medicine for the future.
Novartis is reported to have also given Max Foundation  special  monthly
payments that were earmarked exclusively for hiring  the attorneys needed t=
o
bring the suits  against the healthcare facilities. There are also allegati=
ons
of various kickback schemes and bribes to physicians and  hospitals, and
nepotism. The article may be found at:
http://healthyskepticism.org/IEjuly06.htm[1]

The worst kind of deceit: Fraud by Novartis and Max Foundation targets
patients The following is the English translation of the feature article by
Silvia Garcia  El Peor de los Enga=F1os: Fraude del laboratorio Novartis y =
la
Fundaci=F3n Max a pacientes published in the magazine El Medico (No. 191, 3=
0
July 2006) of Buenos Aires, accessed at:
http://www.revistaelmedico.com.ar/rm/notas/vernota.php?id=3D1120[2]

Background:
It is  significant to note that the very existence of GIPAP in Argentina se=
ems
to contradict the eligibility criteria for the program what were establishe=
d
by Novartis itself and applied to various other countries like Brazil. The
GIPAP criteria   can be found at:
https://www.gipap.com/Default.aspx?trgt=3Dgipap[3].  Besides the medical
diagnostic requirements and the  necessity for that a patient's physician a=
nd
care facility be registered with  the program, it is also stated that the
following conditions must be met:

 Patient is not insured.
 Patient is not reimbursed by any other source.
 Patient has no other financial resources (cannot pay for it privately).

[4]
Also of note is that Novartis has  made a point of featuring its GIPAP prog=
ram
for Argentina in the company's international and Argentina annual reports,
which can be viewed at:
http://www.novartis.com/annual_reports/2004/commitment.shtml[5]

Novartis 2004 Annual Report
Coprorate Citizenship
Commitment to Patients
> By contrast, Argentinas national health-care reimbursement scheme ensures
full coverage for oncology treatment. However, patients still face
life-threatening delays during the months needed to approve insurance
reimbursement applications. Novartis has partnered with physicians and
Argentinas Ministry of Health to provide eligible patients with interim acc=
ess
to Gleevec/Glivec until reimbursement is processed and approved. About 20% =
of
the countrys CML and GIST patients1 have been unable to obtain Gleevec/Gliv=
ec
in a timely manner through their healthcare provider, and turned to GIPAP f=
or
support.

[6]and: http://www.ar.novartis.com/social/2004.htm[7]
 Novartis Argentina Annual Report for 2004:
Nuestro Compromiso con el Desempe=F1o Social - durante 2004
GIPAP (Glivec=AE International Patient Assistance Program)
[8]

--
Joana Ramos, MSW
Cancer Resources & Advocacy
7303 23rd Ave. NE
Seattle, WA  98115
206-229-2420
http://ramoslink.info/[9]

=3D=3D=3DReferences:=3D=3D=3D
  1. http://healthyskepticism.org/IEjuly06.htm
  2. http://www.revistaelmedico.com.ar/rm/notas/vernota.php?id=3D1120
  3. https://www.gipap.com/Default.aspx?trgt=3Dgipap
  4. http://www.healthyskepticism.org/news/issue.php?id=3D7
  5. http://www.novartis.com/annual_reports/2004/commitment.shtml
  6. http://www.secinfo.com/dVut2.z2a4.htm#4xiv
  7. http://www.ar.novartis.com/social/2004.htm
  8. http://www.revistaelmedico.com.ar/rm/notas/vernota.php?id=3D1120
  9. http://ramoslink.info/