Govt to probe drug firm for unethical practices

HEALTH and regulatory officials on Monday said they would investigate allegations that doctor-investors at Bell-Kenz Pharma Inc. were prescribing hypertension and diabetes medication that the company imports as the Senate begins hearings on the controversy today.

Officials from the Department of Health (DoH), the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said they would jointly investigate reports of a «pyramiding» scheme at the company and the use of luxurious gifts to entice doctors to prescribe their products.

FDA spokesman Pamela Sevilla said the investigation would be done in parallel with a Senate probe this week, scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 30.

Ahead of the hearing, the company issued a statement denying the allegations.

Sevilla said even before Sen. JV Ejercito revealed the alleged collusion between Bell-Kenz and some doctors, the FDA had already set up a meeting with the PRC and the DoH.

Sevilla said they were aware of the issue and would «make sure to address it.»

On Wednesday, Ejercito said that whistleblowers would detail the alleged «pyramiding scheme» of pharmaceutical firm Bell-Kenz involving doctors at the Tuesday Senate hearing.

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He expressed alarm over reports that the pharmaceutical company enticed doctors with «luxurious» gifts or incentives to prescribe their products to patients.

Ejercito, deputy chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said he had learned of the scheme two or three months ago and researched it.

Most of the medicines being prescribed are for hypertension and diabetes, he said.

«The only problem is that there seems to be a conflict of interest and a breach of ethical standards because the whistleblowers said the doctors were prescribing drugs that they themselves were importing as owners of the company,» he said in English and Filipino.

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The DoH has already issued Department Circular 2024-0141, reminding all medical professionals to «uphold professional and ethical standards» following the recent reports of pharmaceutical companies giving privileges using a «multi-level marketing scheme» to entice them to advertise or prescribe medical