More pharmaceutical companies probed

Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said on Thursday that more pharmaceutical companies have been included in the probe into a bribery case.

Izvor: Tanjug

Thursday, 01.07.2010.

17:09

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Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday that more pharmaceutical companies have been included in the probe into a bribery case. Police have codenamed the operation Kraba (Crab), and its first results emerged yesterday as the manager of the Serbian Institute of Oncology and a number of others were arrested. More pharmaceutical companies probed They are suspected of taking and giving bribes in collusion with several pharmaceutical firms to increase the use of cancer medication. Dacic explained that the police investigation into the case was continuing, but would not reveal any other details about the findings. According to the minister, police forces of several other countries have also contacted the Serbian police regarding the investigation in order to exchange information on bribery cases involving to healthcare personnel. The police arrested Oncology Institute Director Nenad Borojevic on Wednesday along with six other individuals, including Roche representative in Serbia Vojislav Petrovic, Director of the Pharma Swiss Oncology Sector Andrej Soretic and Astra Zeneca manager Predrag Marinkovic, who were all charged with giving and receiving around EUR 1mn worth of bribes. Police and the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime are checking if some medications were prescribed more than others in order to boost their sales, meaning that their indications list was expanded, said Dacic. According to him, the investigation will cover some other potential abuses as well, such as prescribing increased doses of medication and broadening their application. Dacic noted that some pharmaceutical companies are suspected of maintaining special funds intended for bribes, so doctors would prescribe certain drugs. Police acquired some of the data through wiretapping the suspects' phone conversations over the 14-month investigation, Dacic noted. "Electronic communications need to be checked as well," he stressed, adding that all of the suspects in custody were "innocent until proven guilty".

More pharmaceutical companies probed

They are suspected of taking and giving bribes in collusion with several pharmaceutical firms to increase the use of cancer medication.

Dačić explained that the police investigation into the case was continuing, but would not reveal any other details about the findings.

According to the minister, police forces of several other countries have also contacted the Serbian police regarding the investigation in order to exchange information on bribery cases involving to healthcare personnel.

The police arrested Oncology Institute Director Nenad Borojević on Wednesday along with six other individuals, including Roche representative in Serbia Vojislav Petrović, Director of the Pharma Swiss Oncology Sector Andrej Soretić and Astra Zeneca manager Predrag Marinković, who were all charged with giving and receiving around EUR 1mn worth of bribes.

Police and the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime are checking if some medications were prescribed more than others in order to boost their sales, meaning that their indications list was expanded, said Dačić.

According to him, the investigation will cover some other potential abuses as well, such as prescribing increased doses of medication and broadening their application.

Dačić noted that some pharmaceutical companies are suspected of maintaining special funds intended for bribes, so doctors would prescribe certain drugs.

Police acquired some of the data through wiretapping the suspects' phone conversations over the 14-month investigation, Dačić noted.

"Electronic communications need to be checked as well," he stressed, adding that all of the suspects in custody were "innocent until proven guilty".

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