Pharmaceutical Consultants Detect Criminally Convicted Doctors Working For Food And Drug Adminsitration
The pharmaceutical consultants at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has criticised the Food and Drug Administration for allowing doctors and researchers with criminal convictions to work for the FDA as supervisors during clinical trials or as researchers. By failing to debar anyone with a criminal record from work activities with the FDA, the Administration is breaking its own rules.
GAO officials have publicised their records which show that it takes the FDA an average of four years to debar convicted medical practitioners from working with them. And this comes even though the FDA are required by law to immediately disqualify any doctor who has been charged with fraud or any other type of crime. One dramatic case was that of a male doctor who had been convicted of a 53 criminal counts but went on to work for the FDA for 11 years.
Other cases involve medical professionals who have committed fraud or prescribed medicines without a license. Three doctors continue to work for the FDA even though they have public criminal conviction charges.
presenting false data at clinical trials was the dominant charge amongst the doctors. Participants were made up, they had their consent forced on them and some of the doctors failed to stick to the research plan entirely. There is major concern over criminal doctors’ involvement in the criminal device industry. Under present FDA rules, a doctor who has been convicted of a criminal offence is not prohibited from practicing in the medical device industry, which could be putting the lives of millions of people at risk, especially since inhalers used to treat asthma are thought of as a medical device.
Critics do not see any benefits of introducing new rules as the FDA has already flouted many of the laws that currently govern it. Instead, they propose a wide reform of the whole health care system in America. Proposals include that no company director should be allowed to hold a senior position within the FDA and those doctors who break the law should be prosecuted.
Tags: drugs, healthcare, illness, medicines, pharmaceutical consultants