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| The GlaxoSmithKline Definition of 'Era' |
Definition of Era:
A period of time characterized by particular circumstances, events, or personages - The Free Dictionary
A period of time that includes the present - GlaxoSmithKline
When GSK's CEO, Andrew Witty, claimed a few months ago that his company had turned the corner and were now operating by playing by the rules and regulations there were many that were convinced - there were many who gave Witty the benefit of the doubt.
There were many that turned a blind eye to Witty's involvement during the 'era' that he blamed on GSK's plea of guilty and subsequent $3 billion fine.
To be honest, I don't trust Andrew Witty, I don't trust any executive that works, or has worked for GlaxoSmithKline. Here we have a company who think nothing of giving drugs to children when they know that the drug could possibly kill those children. How could anyone trust a company who does that? How could anyone trust a company's CEO when he tells them it does not go on anymore and it was all part of an 'era' at GSK?
Well, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
Just a few months after Witty's whiter than white statement his company are in the news again for promoting unsafe drugs.
One would think faces would turn a shade crimson throughout the cesspit that is GSK but, as always they have played this latest faux pas down in typical fashion.
A spokesperson for GSK claimed:
"We never intended to promote our medicines for unauthorized indications but we can see how the communication could have been misconstrued especially if taken out of the context in which it written. We need to always be mindful of what audiences might infer from emails or other communications, even if that isn't what we intended."
This after a GSK employee blew the whistle on a sales rep's promotion of the use of the Revolade. The anonymous whistleblower alleged that a company salesperson had promoted the drug to an NHS consultant in an email.
The Guardian writes:
"The email suggested dates for an appointment to "discuss putting together the individual funding request for your patient with Myeloid Fibrosis". But the medicine has only been approved to treat a bleeding disorder called immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura in patients whose spleen has been removed."
Witty has kept quiet over this latest embarrassment for Britain's largest pharmaceutical company. His knighthood remains intact.
If the guy had an ounce of decency he'd give his knighthood back to Her Maj and give her reasons why he cannot accept it - 'It's a kick in the teeth to all the families that have lost loved ones to my company's drugs', would, I'm sure, be accepted by Her Maj.
Part of an era - Pah!
This news comes on the back of Deirdre Connolly, President - North America Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, recent address to the Pharmaceutical Regulatory and Compliance Congress on November 5.
Connolly, at the end of her speech, used an example of how GSK can be trusted today with, ""A GSK rep called on a “no-see” doc.
"The doctor had seen our news and came out of his office to speak to our rep.
"He was angry and started letting our rep know exactly what he thought about GSK. The rep listened, and explained that what the doctor was hearing in the news did not reflect the company we are today. He told the doctor about the changes we had made to our sales incentive compensation program. That made a difference. Today, that GSK sales professional is the only one that doctor will see."
How do these people view themselves when they look in the mirror. I've previously wrote about Connolly here. Her analogy/fairy-tale couldn't have been more comical if her namesake, Billy Connolly, had penned it.
It's like Groundhog Day and Back to the Future rolled into one big fat special-edition of Hitchcock's Psycho, the shower victim being the consumer of GSK prescription medication.
Way to go Witty - you is da man, the top dog, the dog's bollocks... well, I'm guessing I'm half right on the last one.
Glaxo continue to operate - despite their dark history and, it appears, present.
They have more lives than a cat and the stench of a Tom in season.
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