My doctor is acting in my best interest. Or for kickbacks.

Merck Serano was sued and the company paid more than $44 million to settle the lawsuit, which alleges that the company paid kickbacks to MS neurologist for prescribing Rebif.  Somehow, the CMSC--Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Clinics, a non-profit group that helps educate patients, is involved.  This is the organization I get a quarterly magazine from, and I fill out their surveys for NARCOMs; they also let participants know of possible trials or surveys that may be a fit.  I don't know that they have any wrongdoing and I'm not, at this point, holding them responsible, but I do think this publicity may put them in the same position that the National MS Society has arrived at, in my opinion.  These organizations provide some very valuable resources and programs for people with MS; at the same time, they are led by people who are increasingly out of touch with what we want or need.

Merck Serano is a company, and as such, should pursue activities to make a profit.  I do not think that pursuit of profit should allow them to manipulate the system to increase their sales by providing kickbacks to doctors.  Frankly, none of the medications available to MS patients is a great option, and deciding between them has to be a toss-up for doctors, but we should be able to expect our doctors to look out for us.  At the same time, I think our "health care system" promotes the unethical practices that are sure to become more prevalent as insurance is the issue addressed rather than the health of Americans.  Since the pharmacy costs for MS patients increases at a faster rate than medical costs, our doctors are even more likely to push us into medical trials if we don't have insurance or our insurance doesn't pay for what we "need."  (Note that pharmacy costs make up almost 60% of overall MS treatment costs--now that is big pharma, ahem, business.)

And where does the settlement go?  

Under the agreement, the federal government will receive $34.6 million while various states will split $9.7 million.  Timothy Amato, a former business director for Serono who filed the whistleblower case in 2005, will receive about $5.2 million, according to a copy of the settlement agreement.  

Now I think I'm going to join the Wheelchair Kamikaze--I want to vomit.  Seriously, the guy who worked at Serano gets $5 million?  While I can agree that he is a hero for being a whistleblower, I can't see how this settlement is justice for people living with MS.  How is none of this settlement going to MS research and patients?  All these groups, including the government, make the rules for each other, enforce (ha-ha) the rules on each other, penalize each other, and pay each other.  WTF.

I love that so much information is available by blog and Facebook and websites but it can be overwhelming.  I wonder if sometimes things spread too fast, like a virus, or if it's just more effective dissemination of information that causes companies to monitor these information sources and demand retractions.  Time will tell, but a huge settlement certainly implies that there was more to the story than the suit alleges.  I HOPE that the non-profit group is clean, not "money-laundering," as the suit is not against them, but their reaction may raise some suspicions.  I'm also concerned that some of the sources have jumped on the CCSVI bandwagon so quickly.  I'm not saying they shouldn't, but my cynicism has already clouded my opinion of, what may appear to be: one more way for money to be made "treating" MS patients.  *sigh*