80,000 Novartis Paychecks $$$

Grab some popcorn. The trial will be a duesy!

 

Looking forward to seeing the show

 

This will never see a courtroom.
You already know this.

There are other unforseen and unbudgeted for huge public image issues that are very likely to happen when you treat your employees the way this company does.

The true cost of conducting your company in this manner has yet to be revealed.
Not sure what public opinion is worth these days, but im sure its not cheap!

 

Sometimes, The only reason for your existance, is to serve as a warning to others

 

Multinational drug companies have also had to change their marketing practices in China to avoid penalties, not just from China but from other global regulators. In March, Novartis agreed a $25m settlement of a case brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission which alleged that the drugmaker had paid bribes to Chinese health professionals.

More Novartis salesman in China have now been put on fixed-pay packages rather than having their remuneration tied to sales, to reduce pressure on them to boost sales through improper incentives.

 

Novartis is the least aggressive Pharma company I've ever worked for. I've never been pressured to have a program for no good reason. Maybe it happened in some parts of the country, but not my area. I seriously doubt they are guilty of anything more than every other Pharma company. And I've never been treated poorly, but then again I don't seem to have that sense of entitlement so many reps have.

 

Bwahahahaha !!!! Too funny!!!! guess you weren't one of the EIGHTY THOUSAND !!!!
Fucking mOron

 

You must be joking or new to the company.

 

You're a real angel

 

Spoken like a true kissass koolaid drinker! Well said! You can move to the front of the line to be promoted to senior management after being a District Manager for 6 months. Hell if you keep up this pace, you'll be in Basal in no time!

 

MEANWHILE EVERYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANT......THIS

The prosecution has said investigators are gathering evidence to prove that Novartis Korea provided cash and other kickbacks, known in the pharmaceutical industry as "rebates," to doctors. The prosecution has refused to comment on when it will announce the results of its probe, the results of which are being anticipated by multinational pharmaceutical firms operating here.

Offering such rebates has been a long-running but illegal practice which has been blamed for hiking drug prices.

"Moon was temporarily suspended from his duties as CEO of Novartis Korea on April 7," a company official said. "Moon agreed to be relieved from his post. Since then, an acting CEO dispatched from the Swiss headquarters has been managing the firm."

On April 22, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office sent investigators to the office of Novartis Korea in downtown Seoul, confiscating financial records and other company documents.

The prosecution suspects that the Swiss drug maker had offered rebates to doctors and medical school professors in the form of traffic expenses and writer's fees. In exchange, the company asked the doctors to prescribe its medicines for their patients.

 

Take a bow, NVS
You've outdone yourselves this time

 

It's not a matter of how shitty you treat your employees it's a matter of breaking the law. If you never break the law , you don't have to worry about it do you? A trial will be a valuable tool to teach companies how NOT to conduct business

 

I agree that this SHOULD see the light of a courtroom, very public trial, However, I believe it will be settled, and for a huge amount. It's just my opinion.

As for saying it's not about how you treat your employees, I respectfully disagree.

In an environment of real team work, actual unity within the ranks, there would be no fear of reprisal if one sheds light on illegal behavior. Once the behavior is identified, it is rectified and the employee will be rewarded, why, because its what's best for the survival of the company moving forward.

Conversely, in a toxic work environment where actual skills and good creative ideas are trumped by individuals with personal agendas, political in-fighting, and a strong general corporate theme of achieving profits at all costs even at the expense of human life, will in fact produce employees that are more often than not fearful, anxious, and even resentful.
Employees that have this type of working environment are much less likely to come forward, to blow this whistle internally for fear of reprisal so they go externally, IE: OIG, DOJ, etc...

So in conclusion, do I agree there is not a direct correlation between having toxic work environment and illegal behavior, Yes. As do I believe that having a great working environment will not necessarily insulate your company from illegal behavior either.
The two are not mutually exclusive, but I do attest that if your work environment were better, maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't have a line at the District Attorney's office right now waiting to tell the truth about how exactly Novartis conducts it's business.

Just remember Novartians, No Cutsies!!

 

Disagree with your premise re: cohesive teams conceivably working for common/ethical good for this simple fact.

NVS & others mandate hundreds of millions over a period of years be forcibly spent marketing to physicians & other health care areas. They've already decided to corrupt the system top down & establish protocols to ensure that systems survival at all costs.

Regardless how lower levels function it will driven top down.

Look at it this way, if you throw a bunch of fish into a polluted lake (that you continue to pollute because its obscenely profitable) most will perish & a few may adapt & survive but the person throwing the fish into the pollution know well in advance the consequences & likely outcome.

 

Few companies set out to break the law. Usually they make the mistake of operating in the gray area. Not because they want too. Often middle managers will stop giving a ceo the real information he/she needs to access risk. Or the ceo will choose to ignore it. I worked for nvs during the years in question. I know of no one who conducted a "sham" program. I do know numerous reps that raised concern that the programs were not effective. I remember we could not get any direction about what to do if someone brought his wife or ordered a 100 bottle of wine. It all fell on the rep. Some where fired. Managers and reps fought over how many programs could be completed.

This environment was novartis senior leadership failure and it looks like it will cost them.

 

You were/are willfully ignorant , the sheer # alone, nearly 80,000 events, for only a handful of drugs speaks volume, no pun. Ironically in the same breath you confirm wives attending , $100 wine & other misc violations. Then go on to point out that only 'some' were fired for said violations & yet cling to the notion that nothing happened in 'your area'. Give me a break , you're a poor corp. apologist. Grow up.

 

Hey Jr lawyer you make no sense. To reiterate, you admit violations took place, claim reps reported issues to managment. Blame it on lack of corp oversite which confirms the company was aware & advocating this or turning a blind eyes (your words).

Oh & reps getting together to conspire? What was the point of national, regional, district, pocket & local planning meetings?

Why did the company require thousands of paid speakers including PA's & NP's no less. Where they also experts? In fact who were the PA's & NP's educating?

Did you need to pay someone to discuss the same stale drugs for over a decade? BTW if there was no organized effort why was ROI tracked along with all the other metrics involving these programs?

Let's see how a jury views all this activity

 

I can say with 99.8% Certainty, This will never see a court room!
Question: What % of government intervened cases get settled?
Answer: Close to 95%

If at any point during the Discovery phase they find even a whiff of higher up approval or ignorance regarding compliance, they will go after the jugular. They could care less that you made all these "changes" after the fact and will in no way help you during settlement negotiations.

Vegas Odds: 3-5 Billion, settled exactly one year from today.

Oh and it's not the fine that worries Basel, it's the potential yanking of Federal Funds for your drugs that is keeping them up at night as this is strike 3, 4, 5, I forget.

I am sure this fact will be used against the company during settlement talks.
Okay, I'm changing my certainty to 99.93%.

Sweet Dreams Bribing Bureau Programs, I mean Speaker, Ya Speaker, That's what I meant! Wink Wink