Tag: whistleblower
2013 Life Sciences Employment Outlook: What Does It Mean for HR Compliance?
On January 30, 2013, BioSpace.com, an online life sciences recruitment company, released BioSpace Annual Report: Life Sciences Employment Outlook. The report is based on a site demographic study, review of industry job openings from 2010-2012 and salary data collected by BioSpace. The report is cautiously optimistic about employment security/opportunity in the life sciences industry. BioSpace reports that unemployment is down 3.4% since 2010, and average salaries are inching back up from the low point in 2010 towards the high level mark recorded in 2008. Employees with a doctorate or MD degree have the highest spike in average salary growth since 2010.
California, NJ/NY and Massachusetts remain as the top 3 hiring locations in 2012. The study notes that large companies are continuing to explore outsourcing jobs in process, manufacturing and production to overseas locations in India, China and South Korea. As … Read More »
Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Drug Maker Fails Because “Off-Guideline” Marketing Does Not Constitute “Off-Label” Marketing
In welcome news for the pharmaceutical industry, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, in United States ex rel. Polansky v. Pfizer, Inc., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163557 (E.D.N.Y. Nov. 15, 2012), issued a decision distinguishing between unlawful “off-label” marketing and lawfully marketing a drug for use outside of recommended guidelines. By way of background, the Food and Drug Administration approves “labels” (which, in some cases, may be lengthy and more akin to pamphlets or brochures) that must accompany prescription medications. A label states the purposes for which a medication has been determined to be safe and effective, and pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from promoting or marketing the medication for other “off-label” uses.
Since early 2004, Pfizer, Inc. has been defending a qui tam action that its former Director of Outcomes Management Strategies, Dr. Jesse Polansky, filed under … Read More »