Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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USA Today (12.16.04) - Thursday, December 16, 2004
Donna Leinwand
Evan Slavitt, Stupak's attorney, said his client was ordered by Serono - which is headquartered in Geneva and runs its US operations from Massachusetts - to make the offer to doctors in his sales territory. "Adam was not acting on his own," said Slavitt. Stupak has not worked for Serono for three years. Renee Connolly, Serono's US spokesperson, said company policy is not to comment on legal proceedings.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Serostim in 1996, around the same time several antivirals now known as the AIDS cocktail were also approved. The widely prescribed and effective cocktail led to a decline in the number of people with dramatic AIDS-related weight loss, and thus to a decline in demand for Serostim, according to the complaint.
By February 1999, Serostim was falling short of its sales forecast. On March 1, the complaint says, Serono executives announced to Stupak and five other regional sales directors its "$6m-6 Day" plan, in which the representatives would offer a free trip to France in exchange for writing at least 10 Serostim prescriptions. The goal was to produce a $6 million sales increase within a week. The complaint noted that 30 Serostim prescriptions are worth about $6.3 million. The investigation is ongoing.
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