Behind the guise of science - the interests of a pharmaceutical giant: how the Academy of Legal Sciences covered up the pressure on the pharmacy business

The National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine tried to explain that the scandalous "national consultation" on the operation of pharmacies was only part of scientific research. However, the facts show that behind the guise of science, they hid the usual lobbying of the interests of one large drug manufacturer, UNN writes.

Details

Last week, Kyiv hosted the "National Consultation on Ensuring the Quality and Availability of Medicines for Patients" on ensuring the quality and availability of medicines for patients. Responsibility for organizing this event for a long time did not take any of the participants, but later it was divided by scientific institutions that have nothing to do with the pharmaceutical market - the Scientific Research Institute of Intellectual Property of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Scientific Research Institute for the Study of Crime Problems named after Academician V.V. Stashys of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

In response to a request from UNN, the National Academy of Legal Sciences (NALS) assured that the so-called "national consultation", which actually amounted to an attack on the pharmacy business, was conducted within the framework of the "implementation of scientific topics" of the Institute of Intellectual Property and the Institute for the Study of Crime Problems, and accordingly is covered by the functional responsibilities of Prof. Hutorova N.O. and Assoc. Prof. Kashyntseva O.Yu. as heads of scientific topics.

For managing scientific topics and conducting scientific research, these scientists, as employees of the relevant research institutes, receive salaries

At first glance, everything looks perfect: state science, state funding, scientific activity. But it is worth digging deeper - and the picture changes.

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

Despite the fact that the Academy assures about the independence of the consultation and the absence of customers, according to UNN sources, this event was financed - including the payment for the speeches of scientists - by the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa". In fact, thanks for the "scientific" support of the position of drug manufacturers should be addressed to private business. Additional confirmation of this was the post of the company "Darnitsa", in which they openly reported on their participation in the formation of changes in the pharmacy market.

If anyone still doubts the commissioned nature of the event, it is worth only looking at what the discussion during the "National Consultation on Ensuring the Quality and Availability of Medicines for Patients" came down to. The discussion focused not on the problems of drug accessibility for patients, but on "bad pharmacies" that need to be regulated and "restricted". At the same time, drug manufacturers remained beyond criticism.

The Academy, of course, disowned this scenario and stated that their institutions "do not conduct any events on demand".

The formal response of the National Academy of Legal Sciences resembles an attempt to cover up an obvious conflict of interest with scientific rhetoric. However, the facts remain facts: the event turned into a complete justification of the need to destroy pharmacies under the guise of fighting for the rights of patients. The main "experts" on this topic were not pharmacists or pharmacists, but specialists in criminal law and intellectual property. And at least it is surprising that specialized pharmacy associations or representatives of public patient organizations were not invited to the consultation.

Why the Academy risked losing its reputation as an objective expert environment and turning into another tool for promoting the corporate interests of manufacturers is an open question. But while scientists pretend that everything was done according to the rules, the pharmaceutical market risks receiving another "reform" aimed at preserving the profits of one giant.