A moral decision ?
While I was at Eli Lilly we all had to take compliance training. There was a compliance hotline that we could call if we observed any activities that we thought were illegal or not keeping with company compliance policies. While I never had to use the hotline I would like to think that if someone was courageous enough to report an activity they would not have to worry about repercussions from management. If an employee did report another and was fired they would obviously have a hell of a case for wrongful termination and a lot of ammunition to go to the media with.
Peter Rost published a book after he was terminated from Pfizer. As a VP he went on TV and before Congress to say that drug importation should be allowed. Now someone who is employed by big pharma would usually first have to get permission to speak to the media and second if they were smart they would not go to the media to "burn bridges" and then expect to return to their jobs with everything being rosy. So Peter writes this book and exposes bad practices at the drug giant. Supposedly he did not come forward while he was employed because he was subject to intimidation from Pfizer but if these acts were so bad one has to wonder why he didn't quit and hire an attorney ? While only he can answer that it is a question that we may all have to answer at sometime. Are we willing to risk our careers when we know of illegal or non-compliant activities?
According to a review on Amazon.com:
Perhaps Rost's scariest discovery comes after pushing Pfizer management to address Pharmacia's illegal marketing of Genotropin. He uncovers a mysterious document stuck in his personnel file which turns out to be authored by a private investigator, hired by Pfizer, reporting on whether Rost ever purchased a weapon and whether he might be a danger to himself or others. It is around this time, Rost says "I vowed I would expose the pharmaceutical industry and their methods"
Rost's critics say his whistle-blowing has been more about seeking fame and fortune (the latter in the form of book deals and lawsuit settlements) than helping people. In fact, Rost does have an uncanny habit of making headlines by exposing deviousness wherever he goes -- most recently at HuffingtonPost.com, where he was "fired" after unmasking a frequent critic as the Post's very own technology manager.
So Peter Rost is either a hero who exposed corruption and poor promotional practices or someone who was fired and is trying to get even with the industry that discarded him. I can't say because I was not in his position you cannot honestly say how I would have reacted. However one thing is clear, we need DTC marketers who are not afraid of transparency and are willing to stand up and point fingers when they see wrongdoing. If big pharma does not provide an environment in which we can speak our minds when it comes to the truth than the system is really broken. Marketing messages should never get in the way of doing the right thing and that's the bottom line.