J&J Whistle-Blower Jones Says He Was Fired After Payment Probe

Fiorello, once the chief pharmacist for Pennsylvania’s public welfare department, was convicted in December 2008 of felony conflict-of-interest charges for taking payments from drug companies, including Janssen and Pfizer Inc. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation and fined $3,000. He also paid more than $27,000 in civil fines after the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission cited him.

Consulting Agreements

Jurors heard earlier that Steven Shon, a physician who served as medical director of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, signed several consulting agreements with Janssen. The company paid him $47,587 over several years as he promoted the Texas Medication Algorithm Project, or TMAP, guidelines around the U.S., including in Pennsylvania. TMAP urged doctors to give preference to new antipsychotics like Risperdal.

Jones said he interviewed Janssen employees in 2002, and they told him they found no grant request for the payments of $4,000 and $1,766, which was “a real red flag for me,” Jones said.

What do you call 100 pharma sales reps, psychiatrists, and pharmacists under Federal investigation?

#A DROP IN THE BUCKET