The Serono case has been settled by the US government for a fine of $44 million, because Serono illegally billed Medicaid and Medicare for their pharma kickbacks to neuros...but I believe it is important for all pwMS to know who was really behind this case, and who allowed it to happen---

Here is the actual lawsuit filed by Serono employee Tim Amato in 2005.  Thanks to you, TIm, for being a whistleblower....nice to know some people in pharma have a conscience.  It's been 6 years since you filed this case and were wrongfully terminated...you deserve every penny you will be paid for your efforts to uncover this atrocity.  People with MS around the world salute you.

http://freepdfhosting.com/543bcc781b.pdf

Tim Amato was the regional business director for Serono from 2003-2004.

He was fired by Serono for being a whistleblower.

Here are the bribes from Serono, as listed in Amato's claim.

Please read the entire document for all the facts, this is only a summary----

Dr. Alan Bowling of the Rocky Mountain MS Center (2003-2007) requested payment of  $25,000 from Amato to prescribe Rebif.  He had been previously paid $25,000 from Serono representatives, and also asked Serono to purchase 200 copies of the MS book he had authored for $19.95 a copy.  Payment to Dr. Bowling was discussed, as how to "funnel" money to this doctor.

(Dr. Bowling is now Medical Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Service and Director of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Service at the Colorado Neurological Institute (CNI)  He is also Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.  He still treats pwMS.)

http://neurologycare.net/Bio.aspx

June Halper of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers was consulted to handle the "money laundering" for these doctors.  The consortium was paid $30,000---5,000 was kept as a "donation" and the rest was given to Dr. Bowling.

Ms. Harper and the CMSC had previously funneled money for Serono bribes to Dr. Dan Mikol.  

Frank Timmons, Serono employee stated to Amato, "We have a whole money-laundering thing going on with June Halper."

Dr. Dan Mikol is still a practicing neurologist, treating pwMS in Ann Arbor, MI.

June Halper is STILL at the CMSC as Executive Director---she is a certified adult nurse practitioner who has specialized in multiple sclerosis since 1978.  She was a founder of the MS Center in Teaneck, NJ and was the Executive Director from its founding in 1985 to 2008.   Ms. Halper was president of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers from 1995-97 and has been the Executive Director since 1997.

June Halper, APN-C, MSN, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:

Served as an advisor or consultant for: Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.; Biogen Idec Inc.; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Teva Neuroscience, and Genetech.  Served as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.

Serono  then issued other checks to the CMSC (all check copies are included in the original lawsuit)

1. $10,000

2. $16,500

3. $40,718

4. $15,000

1. $600, to pay for membership to CMSC:  Patricia Coyle, Stony Brook 

2. $20,000

3. $10,000

4. $75,000

5. $70.100

6. $60,000

7. $80,000

9.  $8,700

10  $40,718

TOTAL MONEY PAID TO CMSC by Serono to be laundered and paid as kickbacks to neuros:

$447,336....

and this was just one pharma company for a couple years.  How much pharma money did the CMSC collect and launder as payouts to neurologists??

The part that got the Feds involved, and why Serono was eventually fined is that these payments to CMSC and directly to neurologists were then billed to Medicaid and Medicare.  

But there has been no legal action taken against the doctors or CMSC for laundering money or accepting kickbacks.

Shouldn't these people be punished???  Investigated?  Arrested??   Should they still be allowed to work with people with Multiple Sclerosis???  How can the CMSC expect anyone w/MS to believe anything they say?

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The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)  is celebrating 25 years of Hope and Achievement in Montreal on June 1-4.....

Here is their website:

http://annualmeeting.mscare.org/

Here's the special CMSC event on CCSVI....you can be sure CCSVI research will be presented in a fair and balanced manner......

MEET THE PROFESSOR 

This innovative dinner program chaired by Dr. Victor Rivera from Houston, Texas, a leader in both North, Central and South America. He will lead a debate by Dr. Mark Freedman and Dr. Robert Zvidanov about new and emerging information about CCSVI and research in multiple sclerosis. 

http://annualmeeting.mscare.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42%3Ameeting-highlights-and-dinners&catid=1%3Aannual-meeting-category&Itemid=48

Clay Walker, our new friend who has spoken about his "severe jugular vein blockage" at the Erase MS function, is the special guest artist.

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How can pwMS hope to have fair representation, when they have to worry that organizations which are supposedly created to help them are laundering pharmaceutical money????  When people they trust to look out for their health are receiving payments to prescribe specific drugs?

This is a much larger story than I can hope to cover this morning, before I get on with my day and go to work....but in one hour, I found the true story behind this money laundering scheme...PLEASE, investigative reporters....HELP US!!!   We need you to uncover this.  We are fighting our hardest to have CCSVI research given a fair chance, but we are up against corporations with tremendous power.  

We need your help.

Joan