The significance of the study goes far beyond the individual companies and cases it identifies, as bribery can distort the healthcare system even when a drug itself is deemed to meet official quality standards. If a doctor prescribes a particular medicine because of financial inducements rather than because it is supposedly a suitable choice for the patient, the patient can still lose. If a government procurement decision is influenced by kickbacks, taxpayers can end up paying more for drugs that are not necessarily appropriate. And if regulatory decisions are compromised, the consequences can be considerably more serious.
Significantly, therefore, the researchers conclude that the problem is systemic rather than confined to a particular country or region. The cases they cite involved bribery in 30 countries, spanning Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. This is particularly important because the pharmaceutical industry has spent decades attempting to cultivate an image of itself as a highly regulated, science-driven sector whose primary objective is the development of medicines to improve human health. Yet the evidence documented in this study shows how financial incentives can penetrate multiple levels of the system – from the doctor writing the prescription to the official approving the medicine and the government deciding which drugs to purchase.
