Ex-Serono sales director accused of kickbacks

Medical Marketing and Media, Feb 2005 by Dickinson, James G

A MULTI-AGENCY federal investigation has led to charges against a former Serono regional sales director for allegedly offering kickbacks to doctors who wrote prescriptions for Serostim.

According to a complaint filed by U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, while employed by Serono, Adam Stupak, 40, had offered three New York doctors an all-expense-paid trip to attend a medical conference in Cannes, France in April 1999 in exchange for writing prescriptions for a 12-week course of Serostim to treat wasting in AIDS patients. Each 12-week course of Serostim (somatropin) costs about $630,000, according to a Justice Department news release.

It is alleged that during a presentation at Serono's national sales meeting in March 1999, the company announced the names of 10 physicians who were "U.S. invitees" to the Cannes conference. During the announcement, the government charges, the company also falsely stated that these doctors had "committed to conducting two regional speaking programs to summarize the meeting proceedings," though no such commitment had been requested or made.-J.G.D.