Transparency 22 : Reform of the European Medicines Agency.
On Transparency blog 27 of June, 28 2011, we noted that France was requesting the reform of the French Drug Agency and we provided documentation of French digital newspaper Le Figaro titled: “The Senate wants an agency impeccable drugs” in the following link:
In the same line, now deficiencies are noted in the European Medicines Agency. Specifically, on October 12, in the Michelle Rivasi website, Member of European Parliament and on November 15, at Radio France International problems are indicated by lack of transparency and conflict of interest in the European Medicines Agency and reported that the European Anti-Fraud Office is investigating the Agency, from the July 22 this year. Added to this is the fact that in May 2011 the European Parliament in Strasbourg refusal to approve the 2009 accounts of the European Medicines Agency.
For this reason on October 12, 2011, following the approval of those accounts in Brussels some MEPs were in favor of the reform of the European Medicines Agency because they considered that the health scandal use of benfluorex has highlighted the collusion between industry, those responsible agencies and scientific experts at European level and not only French.
The mentioned medicine has caused more than 500 deaths and nearly 3,500 hospitalizations for heart valve lesions between 1976 and 2009. Although the first negative reports were submitted in Belgium in 1994, the product has continued to sell in several countries until 2003 and in some countries up to 2005. For this reason Michelle Rivasi indicates that confidence in the agency recovered only when there is presence of unimpeachable people.
How justified politicians and scientists responsible of the agencies of various countries, which continued for 20 years selling a product that has caused 500 deaths from heart valve disease, while, for reasons that are still under judicial investigation, have tried to cancel antibiotic veterinary specialties based on generic molecules as has happened in the Spanish agency of medicine?
These suspicions are extended to agencies of many countries. However, some countries act against corruption. So the head of China’s drug agency was accused of accepting bribes (gifts and 630,000 euros in cash) for pharmaceutical companies to authorize irregularly 277 drugs have abandoned their obligations when was director agency between 1998 and 2005, of being responsible the death of ten people for the authorization of an injectable antibiotic and be responsible for deaths in Panama and other countries poisoning dietileneglycol used in toothpaste and cough syrups.
In Veterinaria Digital think that the reform of drug agencies is essential, but this measure must be accompanied by an investigation aimed at clarifying the relationship between industry, responsible agencies and scientific experts, covering the period from creation to the present.
