Business Services Industry

Ernst & Young to Sponsor Conference On Legal and Business Strategies to Prevent Fraud and Abuse in the Sales and Marketing of Drugs and Medical Devices

Business Wire, March 7, 2002

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2002

Ernst & Young LLP, one of the world's largest professional services firms, announced today that it is sponsoring the American Conference Institute's "Legal and Business Strategies to Prevent Fraud and Abuse in the Sales and Marketing of Drugs and Medical Devices" conference, which will be held in New York April 11-12 at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel.

The conference, designed in the wake of the recent landmark settlements between the federal government and Bayer and TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., will take an in-depth look at the serious enforcement and compliance issues confronting pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.

The two-day conference will feature a keynote address by Dr. Audiey Kao of the American Medical Association regarding the AMA's "Clarification for Gifts to Physicians from Industry" guidelines. In addition, the conference will feature roundtable discussions with state and federal prosecutors who will discuss enforcement initiatives against the pharmaceutical industry and provide examples of potential case resolutions.

"The compliance guidelines proposed in the settlements of the Bayer and TAP cases, and the government's ongoing investigation of the industry, has served as a wake-up call," according to Bernie Ford, Ernst & Young's National Director of Health Sciences Litigation Advisory Services. "Makers of pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices are now asking themselves serious questions about the compliance programs they have in place to combat abusive practices and are looking to conferences like this for answers."

Ernst & Young's Ted Acosta, of the firm's Litigation Advisory Services practice and a former senior counsel for the Office of Inspector General (OIG), will lead a panel discussion on how to implement the OIG's Proposed Nine Guidances for mitigating abusive practices in pharmaceutical and medical devices marketing during the first day of the conference.

Paul Silver, also a member of the Litigation Advisory Services practice, will moderate a panel discussion on creating and implementing internal compliance guidelines to prevent fraud and abuse. The panel will review what controls companies need to put in place for activities that may be under federal scrutiny and how to make compliance an ongoing part of the decision-making process.

Other issues to be addressed during the conference include: identifying what can be classified as inducements under the Anti-kickback law; the continuing use of physicians as consultants under the new AMA guidelines; and techniques to effectively use risk audits to safeguard against fraud and abuse.

To register for the conference attendees can call 1-888-ACI-2480 or register online at www.americanconference.com.

About Ernst & Young's Litigation Advisory Services Practice

E&Y's Litigation Advisory Services (LAS) practice offers assistance in every phase of traditional conflict resolution and risk management including: Fact Finding & Discovery; Analysis & Quantification of Damages; Trial Preparation; Settlement Negotiation; and Expert Testimony. LAS also specializes in designing and implementing innovative, comprehensive, and integrated business risk and conflict management programs for organizations and their legal departments. This elite team is comprised nationally of more than 200 professionals, consisting of former government agency officials, law enforcement agents, financial accountants, economists, scientists, and MBAs, experienced in business risk management, fraud investigations, forensic accounting, economic analysis, insurance claims, alternative dispute resolution, computer forensics, compliance assurance, and intellectual property. Find more information about LAS by visiting http://litigation.ey.com.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, understands the business issues that are important to senior executives. With extensive business knowledge and hands-on industry experience, the global Ernst & Young organization can implement a broad array of solutions to help companies capture growth, improve financial performance and manage risk--anywhere in the world. Its 84,000 people serve as trusted business advisers in more than 130 countries, offering audit, tax, corporate finance and transaction services across all industries to many of today's leading global corporations as well as emerging growth companies. In addition, legal services are available in various parts of the world where permitted. A collection of Ernst & Young's views on a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/thoughtcenter.> Ernst & Young refers to all members of the global Ernst & Young organization, including the U.S. firm of Ernst & Young LLP.