AAAS 2010 Annual Meeting News

http://news.aaas.org/2010/02172009-s...om-award.shtml
Dr. Nancy Olivieri, a Champion of Patient Safety, Wins AAAS Scientific
freedom and responsibility award
The... Award will honor Dr. Nancy Olivieri of the University of Toronto “for her indefatigable determination that patient safety and research integrity come before institutional and commercial interests.”

Dr. Olivieri, a professor of pediatrics, medicine and public health sciences at the University of Toronto, showed “courage in defending these principles in the face of severe consequences,” ...

In 1997, while conducting a clinical trial of a drug that showed promise for improving the lives of patients with thalassemia—a blood disorder that can be fatal if not treated—Dr. Olivieri reported that she discovered what she considered to be possibly life-threatening side effects of the medication. She said that she informed the pharmaceutical company of this risk and of her intention to notify the hospital’s Research Ethics Board, her patients, and other clinicians. According to Dr. Olivieri, the company disagreed with her findings, informed her that such actions would be in violation of a confidentiality agreement she had signed, and warned of “legal remedies” if she carried out her intentions.

After publishing her findings, Dr. Olivieri suffered a series of adverse actions, including being relieved of one of her positions and referral to a physicians’ disciplinary board.

A report on the case—completed by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT)—states that anonymous letters to journalists and several colleagues, accusing Dr. Olivieri of professional and sexual misconduct, were later traced to a colleague who had received money from the company. The CAUT reported further that the university where she had an appointment, which had been promised a large donation by the company, supported her only after an investigation by the Association and the physicians’ board had vindicated her. Dr. Olivieri continues to fight legal battles brought against her by the drug company. (Reference: http://www.caut.ca/pages.asp?page=199.)....

Madelyn,
Thanks for posting this. I am a member of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), but I was not aware of, or had forgotten about the story about this clinical scientist who underwent professional and personal persecution and defamation when she stood up against a Canadian drug company which was conducting a clinical trial at the U. of Toronto where she was a faculty member.

Because of its somewhat esoteric nature, and because it occurred in Canada, this case stayed somewhat under the radar of the media in the U.S., unlike the Vioxx-Merck case here.

What makes it so compelling to me is that it was directly focused on an individual who put the welfare of the patients under her care in a drug trial ahead of warnings by the drug company of personal professional repercussions when she published results unfavorable to the drug in the trial. The drug company subsequently secretly launched a campaign of professional assasination against Dr Olivieri which included anonomous accusations of personal misconduct to university officials by her own colleagues. Subsequently the university, which was at the time anticipating a huge gift from the same drug company, censured Dr. Olivieri.

Investigations of the case by national professional and academic organizations eventually revealed the scheme instigated by the drug company. Although Dr. Olivieri was eventually completely exonerated by the university and awarded damages for professional defamation by the Canadian courts, the drug company continues to use legal maneuvering to avoid paying the adjudicated fine.

I am proud of the AAAS for recognizing this courageous scientist and again calling attention to the dangers of corporate subversion of scientific inquiry when their financial interests are placed ahead of the search for the truth.

Robert

The world needs more people like this with courage and determination to do the right thing. I am so glad that this has been recognized, it gives incentive to others who would like to see a real expression of ethics in medicine, instead of lip service. Congratulations for Dr Oliveiri for her actions, and to the AAAS for honoring her.