carried an article appeared recently in the journal Nature. But Poggiolini who remembered him more? Piduista slap ...
NATURE - Vol 454 broke into the house of Duilio Poggiolini, head of the national committee for drug registration, and discovered gold bullion under his floorboards. For many Italians, the image of that gleaming bullion still resonates — an enduring symbol of a time when government officials, up to and including the health minister, routinely took bribes from the pharmaceutical industry to approve drugs and fix their prices. Steps were taken to avoid such a situation arising again. So it
is worrying that Nello Martini, a pharmacist with no political associations, has been removed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s new government as head of AIFA, the autonomous agency created in 2004 to register drugs and supervise their use. Martini successfully carried out a mandate to limit spiralling drug expenditure to 13% of the total health budget. But in the process he incurred the wrath of industry. Only a few weeks ago, government prosecutors in Turin charged Martini with disastro colposo, or ‘causing unintentional disaster’, for bureaucratic delays in updating the packaging information on the side effects of a few drugs — although none required more than minor rewording of existing text. Martini was replaced in the middle of July by microbiologist Guido Rasi, a member of AIFA’s administrative board, who has been described in the Italian press as being close to the far-right party Alleanza Nazionale, which forms part of Berlusconi’s coalition government. Even more worryingly, the government, which took office in May, says it plans to reduce AIFA’s power by separating the pricing of drugs from technical considerations of their efficacy, bringing pricing back into the health and welfare ministry. At a time when all countries are struggling to find a way to pay for hugely expensive new-generation drugs within limited budgets, this makes little sense. The autonomous agency needs to be able to integrate all technical and economic information if Italy is to operate a cost-effective health system. More over, the health and welfare ministry’s connections with industry are uncomfortably close. For example, the wife of the minister Maurizio Sacconi is the directorgeneral of Farmindustria, the association that promotes the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. In fact, Berlusconi's government has shown tendencies to allow industrial Interests unsettling to gain Influence agencies were over. A few weeks after Martin's dismissal, the Italian space agency Was put into the hands of a commissioner who heads the space division of the aerospace giant Finmeccanica. Should the government think twice about Whether it really wants to open the door That Was Deliberately Poggiolini closed after the affair.
Fifteen years ago at the height of 'Clean Hands', the police stormed the home of Duilio Poggiolini, the head of the national committee for drug registration and found gold bars hidden under his floor. For many Italians, the image of those bars is still vivid bright, symbolizing permanently the days when government officials, including Minister of Health, took bribes to approve drugs by pharmaceutical companies and price stability.
[...] today is worrying the choice of the Berlusconi government to remove Nello Martini, a pharmacist with no political ties, the management of AIFA, the autonomous agency created in 2004 to approve the drug and monitor its use. Martini has been successful in limiting the increase in pharmaceutical expenditure to 13% of health spending budget, but doing so has sparked the ire of the [...]
Martini has been replaced in mid-July by microbiologist Guido Rasi, a member of AIFA and described by the Italian press as close to the National Alliance [...] Even more worrying is the government, took office in May, says it will reduce AIFA powers by separating the pricing of medicines in a technical evaluation of their effectiveness, returning the power to decide on prices at the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
In a time when all nations are struggling to be able to pay, with reduced budgets, the higher and higher prices for new generation drugs, this choice makes little sense. If Italy wants to make an efficient policy on health care costs, then the independent agency should be able to integrate all technical information with economic ones. For more about the connections between the Ministries of Health and Welfare with the industrial system are uncomfortably close: for example, the wife of the Minister Maurizio Sacconi has been the director general of Farmindustria, the association that promotes the interests of pharmaceutical companies.
fact, the Berlusconi government has already shown the disturbing trend of allowing corporate interests to extend their influence over state agencies .. The government should think twice if it is indeed the case to reopen the door which was barred after the case Poggiolini.
[From Nature 7 August 2008] Source: http://www.beppegrillo.it (C)
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