Individual whistleblowers and international drug companies

Whistleblowing has recently emerged as one of the effective ways to stop drug companies from immoral and illegal behavior. This presentation will explore the limits and possibilities of using this mechanism as they apply to major international pharmaceutical companies. Further it will suggest directions for action after the whistleblowing is completed which can expand the impact of the act. Issues explored will include: the general lack of success in attaching personal responsibility to high level corporate management such as presidents and vice presidents and well as board members, the international mobility of high level management which acts against official responsibility on their part in any particular nation, the positive impact of whistleblowing in deterring similar actions by other pharmaceutical companies, the ability of pharmaceuticals to move money internationally and the impact of this movement on ultimate settlement amounts, the impact on laborers and labor market areas of a successful suit and the ability of the company to move production and corporate headquarters to other countries as well as other states and local communities, the long lasting impact of whistleblowing on the whistleblowers themselves as well as their families and the potential influence on drug availability of major settlements. The presentation combines my personal experience as a whistleblower, with Marxist analysis, with data on the impact of whistleblowing in general on the pharmaceutical industry.