Novartis - A Chronicle of Crimes



Gunned-down Brazilian farmers; tortured, maimed and killed animals in labs; sexual exploitation by the management; Africans left to die for profit; patients poisoned and killed with harmful drugs; babies fed with unhealthy food...

That and much more is the result of the corporate greed of one of the worst abusers of mankind, animals and nature – worldwide. Daniel Vasella and his thugs plunder and murder in all five continents - leaving destruction and death behind them.

This is a chronicle of their crimes.


Novartis Abuse

Abuse

Attempted Sexual Abuse of Underage Girl in the USA: Former Vice President Chiron (Novartis) Attempted Sexual Relationship with Under-14-Years-Old Girl

Maurice Wolin, 48, was facing charges in California of attempting to commit a lewd and lascivious act upon a child under the age of 14. Wolin was previously vice-president of oncology for the Chiron Corp. in Emeryville, a company owned by Novartis. He is registered as a physician and surgeon with the Medical Board of California. It is believed he now works for a Canadian global biopharmaceutical company that specializes in developing cancer treatments.
Wolin was nabbed along with 28 other men who showed up at a Petaluma house in late August hoping for a "date" with an underage girl. Wolin and the others were allegedly chatting online with what they thought were young girls with whom they hoped to have sexual contact. Wolin's screen name was "talldreamy doc." He allegedly said he was 29, and talked online about giving and receiving oral sex.
The "girls" were actually police decoys set up as part of a six-month investigation by several law enforcement authorities including the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department, Santa Rosa and Petaluma police departments. Police worked with Perverted Justice, a nationwide volunteer organization that monitors online Web sites and chat rooms.
Wolin and the other men caught in the sting operation appeared on Dateline NBC's "Catch a Predator" show. According to Dateline's transcripts, the cancer doctor appeared at the house and engaged in a brief conversation with an actress posing as the young girl with whom he had been chatting online. Nervous, he spilled a drink, then apparently spotted a camera crew and bolted. He was then apprehended. Transcripts show he told a police officer, "Oh, man, I wasn't doing anything."
Wolin hired high-powered Los Angeles defense attorney Blair Berk to represent him. His lawyers went to court to try and keep his video segment off the air, but the request was denied.
Berk, whose list of clients include Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan and Halle Berry, said earlier that Wolin was "in no way, shape or form any kind of predator or threat to anyone." This week, Berk and Olson said they had no further comments on the case at this time.

Source:

Contra Costa Times, California November 29, 2006


Novartis Torture

Animal Torture

Novartis is an addicted and ruthless user of the following labs as well as a prominent operator of company-run research in their own torture chambers.

Despite European Commission and member state's individual promises to reduce and replace the use of animals in experiments, the total animals used in experiments in 2005 rose to 12.1 million - representing a 3.2 per cent increase over and above the added numbers from the inclusion of 10 new member states in the 2005 report. For more information, visit: British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV)

COVANCE

Covance betreibt in Münster eines der größten Tierversuchslabore Europas. Dort werden zurzeit ca. 1500 Affen hinter meterhohen Betonmauern und NATO-Stacheldraht in winzigen Metallgitterkäfigen gefangen gehalten, von denen jedes Jahr 1000 durch grausame Tierversuche der rund 200 MitarbeiterInnen gequält und ermordet werden. Letztes Jahr wurde die Anlage sogar um 48 Tierräume und 50 Labore erweitert.

Ein bei Covance versteckt gedrehtes Video, aus dem Ausschnitte bei der ZDF-Sendung "Frontal21" gezeigt wurden, sorgte 2003 bundesweit für Aufsehen. In dem Video wird das tägliche Leiden der Affen bei Covance dokumentiert. Der inkognito arbeitende Journalist filmte Tierpfleger, die mit unglaublicher Brutalität Tiere aus den Käfigen rissen, ihnen die Arme verdrehten, sie anschrieen und entwürdigten. So wurde mit den verängstigten Tieren beispielsweise auch zu lauter Radiomusik herumgetanzt. Es wurden Affen in strukturloser Einzelhaltung gezeigt, die dort ihr ganzes Leben verbringen, betäubte Tiere, die in der Aufwachphase auf den Käfigböden aufschlagen oder vor Angst und Schmerz schreiende Tiere. Ebenso wie verhaltensgestörte Tiere, die in ihren Käfigen stereotype Bewegungen durchführen oder verängstigte, an Bändigungsapparaturen gefesselte Tiere. Der Geschäftsführer der Firma, Dr. Friedhelm Vogel, bestätigte, dass es sich bei den meisten dort gezeigten Aufnahmen um Laboralltag handele.

Horrorakte, denen sich Tiere bei Covance ausgesetzt sehen

Links:

 

Switzerland: Allergenic Asthma Applied to Rats

Novartis Rat
The model of repeated low dose allergen challenge has been applied to rats in order to study the major features of chronic airways inflammation. Male rown Norway (BN) rats (Iffa-Credo, L'Arbresle, France) weighing 250-300 g were used. The animals were briefly anaesthetized.
No exposure: Rats were examined by MRI and killed immediately after for histological analysis.
Single exposure: One week after sensitization, animals were given i.t. OA (0.3 mg/kg) or saline (0.2 ml i.t.). These animals were analyzed by MRI 24 h after challenge. They were killed immediately after the MRI session for BAL fluid analysis or histology.
Multiple exposures at 96 h interval: Rats were challenged four times with OA (0.3 mg/kg i.t.) or saline (0.2 ml i.t.), the first challenge taking place one week after sensitization. The procedure adopted for a single exposure was repeated at 96 h, 192 h and 288 h after the first challenge. For each animal MRI images were acquired 6, 24, 48, 96 h after each OA challenge. Animals were killed after the 312 h acquisition (24 h after the fourth challenge) for BAL fluid analysis or histology.
A detailed description of the BAL procedure and the analysis of the parameters of inflammation was provided. Immediately after MRI acquisitions rats were killed by an overdose of pentobarbital (250 mg/kg i.p.). Lungs were fixed by slow in-situ inflation.
Student's t test was also performed using vehicle-treated rats as the control group.
Challenge of actively sensitized BN rats with OA led to an inflammatory response in the airways as assessed by changes in the BAL fluid leukocyte numbers.
Our observations are consistent with other studies performed in guinea pigs, rats and mice.
However, because of respiratory movements, it would be necessary to artificially ventilate and paralyze the rats.

Correspondence to: Nicolau Beckmann, PhD Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Discovery Technologies, Analytics and Imaging Sciences Unit
Lichtstr. 35; WSJ-386.2.09, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
nicolau.beckmann@novartis.com
Tel. +41-61-3249576, fax: +41-61-3243889

Source:

Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol (November 3, 2006): Lung inflammation and vascular remodeling after repeated allergen challenge detected noninvasively by MRI

UK: Novartis-Imutran: Xenotransplantation Experiments

Novartis Xenotransplantation
Between 1994 and 2000, hundreds of higher primates were subjected to grotesque 'xenotransplantation' experiments. Hearts and kidneys from genetically engineered piglets were transplanted into the necks, abdomens and chests of monkeys and baboons captured from the wild.
The primates were then injected and force-fed massive doses of immune-suppressing drugs in a vain attempt to prevent the alien organs from being rejected. The results were truly appalling.
The research was conducted by a biotechnology company, Imutran Ltd, which was a subsidiary of Novartis Pharma AG, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. The experiments took place at the controversial Huntingdon Life Sciences laboratories.

A major interest of Novartis in xenotransplantation is the market for cyclosporine. Cyclosporine production is located at its plant in Kundl, Austria. 98% of its output is exported.

Examples of these evil experiments are to be found in pseudo"scientific" propaganda, like

http://jtcs.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/125/1/60
on baboons or
http://www.iovs.org/cgi/content/abstract/38/2/274
on rats or
http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/13/1435.asp
on rats and rabbits

A white-washed version of the history of xenotransplantation is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/425120.stm

A good overview is:
http://www.chaos.org.uk/~maureen/arcam.html

For a full report see:
http://www.xenodiaries.org/report.pdf

Background and action:
http://www.xenodiaries.org

Switzerland: Rats - Behavior Following Postnatal Hypoxia

Rats between 4 and 8 days age are exposed to reduced oxygen content. Some of them are killed on their 11th day and the brains are taken out. Some others are exposed to noise and rattled in steel cages untill they show symptoms of schizophrenia. Finally, on their 120th day the rats are killed.
The experiments took place at the NIBR in Basel.

Germany: Induced Epilepsy

Novartis Experiment
Electrodes are implanted into the stomach and the brain of mice. Pilokarpin is injected to cause epilepsy. Some of the mice die because of this treatment. Others are killed to investigate the brain. The survivors get a 2nd injection, this time Diazepam (Valium), and live up to 28 days with implanted electrodes before they are killed.
The mice were provided by NIBR Basel.

Source:

Journal of Neural Transmission 2007: 114, 239-248

Germany: Drilling the Head of Cats

Novartis-cat-torture
The head of cats is drilled open and a glass plate is applied. Pictures are shown to the cat and the brain is filmed through the glass plate. After 30 to 45 minutes the cats are killed.
Martin Rausch of Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland, participated in these experiments.

Source:

Neuro Report 2001: 12, 1693-1698

BPRC Netherlands: Cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys drugged with cyclosporine of Sandoz (Kundl, Austria) and killed

Novartis Monkey
Pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine in monkeys after oral and intramuscular administration: relation to efficacy in kidney allografting

H.-J. Schuurman, K. Mennninger, M. Odeh, W. Slingerland, M. Ossevoort, M. Jonker, J.-C. Hengy, B. Dorobek, J. Vonderscher, J. Ringers, H.-J. Schuurman (2001) Pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine in monkeys after oral and intramuscular administration: relation to efficacy in kidney allografting
Transplant International 14 (5) , 320–328 doi:10.1111/j.1432-2277.2001.tb00066.x

Abstract

In cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys, the dose-normalized exposure of cyclosporine administered orally as microemulsion preconcen-trate (Neoral) was lower than that upon intramuscular administration. For oral administration, mean values (± SD) of Cmax, 24-h area-under-the curve (AUC) and 24-h trough level, all normalized for a 1 mg/kg dose, were 20 ± 9 ng kg/mg ml, 210 ± 70 ng h kg/mg ml and 2.6 ± 0.9 ng kg/mg ml, respectively. For intramuscular administration, levels were about 5.5-fold, 9-fold and 22-fold higher. Based on phar-macokinetic data, the efficacy of oral cyclosporine treatment (without any other immunosuppressant) was evaluated in life-supporting cynomolgus monkey kidney allotransplantation. Rejection-free kidney allograft survival could be achieved using oral cyclosporine monotherapy with average 24-h trough concentrations above 100 ng/ml during maintenance treatment. Typically, daily oral doses of 100 mg/kg-150 mg/kg during the first two weeks post-transplantation, followed by daily 30 mg/kg-100 mg/kg dose levels during subsequent maintenance can result in long-term allograft survival, with 24-h average trough levels in individual animals during maintenance between 110 ng/ml and 700 ng/ml.

Laboratory

The experiments took place at the BPRC Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands.

The „researching“ torturers

* H.-J. Schuurman, 1Transplantation Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
* K. Menninger, 1Transplantation Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
* M. Odeh, 1Transplantation Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
* W. Slingerland, 2Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2280 GH Rijswijk, The Netherlands
* M. Ossevoort, 2Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2280 GH Rijswijk, The Netherlands
* M. Jonker, 2Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2280 GH Rijswijk, The Netherlands
* J.-C. Hengy, 3Department of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
* B. Dorobek, 3Department of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
* J. Vonderscher, 3Department of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
* J. Ringers, 4Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
* H.-J. Schuurman, 5Immerge BioTherapeutics, Building 75, 3rd Avenue, Charlestown, MA02129, USA

1Transplantation Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
2Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2280 GH Rijswijk, The Netherlands
3Department of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
4Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
5Immerge BioTherapeutics, Building 75, 3rd Avenue, Charlestown, MA02129, USA

Contact

henk.schuurman@immergebt.com
Tel. +1-617-241-5565
Fax +1-617-241-0539

Novartis USA: PETA Names the 10 Worst CEOs for Animals in Laboratories

Novartis transgenic
Despite thousands of dead animals and millions of dollars spent by Novartis and its subsidiaries to develop animal organs for transplantation into humans, the company will never be able to transplant a soul or any compassion into CEO Paulo Costa. Pointless and painful experiments in xenotransplantation—transplanting the organs of one species into another species—have been one of the greatest medical disasters of all time.
Peddling transgenic pig parts and other organs designed to replace human parts is very profitable. The fact that these transplants are prohibitively expensive, of limited value, and always deadly hasn't slowed Costa's search for an immunopig.
Six thousand people are on waiting lists for human organs; while the problem of organ shortage could largely be solved through default consent to organ donation when people die, the use of animals as warehouses for spare parts continues. One hundred years of failed research shows that animals—even if they have transplanted human genes—do not have suitable spare parts for humans. Pigs are now being genetically manipulated to carry human genes in the hope that this catalog of failure and misery can be turned into a viable form of medical treatment. Other animals—such as hamsters, rabbits, and monkeys—have also been subjected to horrific and pointless transplantation experiments. But animals were never meant to be wrecking yards for human parts. All attempts to carry out animal-to-human organ transplants have failed. These surgeries are so monumentally unsuccessful that the animals usually begin to die within minutes of receiving an organ.
In Novartis' experiments, monkeys have endured lethal infections, lethal blood clotting, bleeding complications, viral and protozoal infections, lymph cancer, severe nausea, severe stomach inflammation and diarrhea, dehydration, fatal pneumonia, persistent wound infections, breakdowns, brain trauma, heart attacks, pneumonia, and anemia. Huge doses of immune-suppressing drugs have caused internal hemorrhaging.
A swab left in a monkey's abdomen by a Novartis employee caused a lethal infection, and similar incidents occurred on a regular basis. Sometimes the hearts or kidneys would simply not function after transplantation, and some pig organs were rejected almost instantaneously, undermining the only difference between genetically modified pigs and normal pigs. Victims of these gruesome experiments were overdosed with anesthetics, and their spleens were removed. One pig's kidney was accidentally transplanted into the abdomen of a monkey, and the primate died shortly afterward. If monkeys and baboons survived surgery, they faced death by organ rejection and failure, infections resulting from drug toxicity, or severely impaired immune systems.
The danger isn't only a risk for the animals used in the experiments. Some viruses carried by animals are impossible to eradicate and can infect humans—potentially with catastrophic results, such as the deadly influenza epidemic of 1918 that killed millions of people, mad cow disease, HIV, and the recent avian flu epidemic. This threatens human patients who would receive pig organs, and scientists across the globe are concerned that these viruses may pass into the general population, causing an epidemic that could affect all of us.

Write to Costa, and let him know that Novartis' preposterous venture will never result in cures for ailing and aging humans:

Paulo Costa, CEO
Novartis Corporation
608 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10020

Source:

http://www.stopanimaltests.com/f_ten_worst_ceo.asp


Novartis Corruption

Corruption

Germany: Buying Prescriptions

Novartis Pharma in Germany announced plans to pay 50 Euro per report from doctors prescribing Diovan and Codiovan. Both are drugs against high blood pressure, on the market since 1996. The scientific need for such a research equals zero.
In internal papers and emails this „research“ is described as a tactic to counter reduced prescriptions, which caused a drop of sales of 12% compared to the year before.

Source:

http://www.stern.de/blog/42_pharmablog/archive/745_kauf_von_verordnungen_bei_novartis.html


Novartis Exploitation

Exploitation


Poland: Less than Minimum Payment

A worker of Alima-Gerber, a subsidiary of Novartis in the town of Rzeszów, gets a salary of 1122 Zloty (280 Euro) per month. This does not cover the minimum to make a living.

Source:

http://diepresse.com/home/wirtschaft/eastconomist/72520/index.do

Payback: Novartis To Slash Investment In India

The Novartis CEO Vasella says he will switch hundreds of millions of dollars in planned investments from India to other locations, primarily, China, in response to an Indian court ruling that he says weakens intellectual property rights on new meds.
In an interview with The Financial Times following the rejection this month of his bid to protect the patent on the Gleevec cancer med (in other countries sold as Glivec), Vasella says “concrete plans” for investments in research in India stalled during the trial and Novartis will now go elsewhere. Novartis is already expanding in China, despite concerns over corruption and quality control.
Novartis had appealed against an earlier Indian ruling to reject patents on Gleevec. The court argued that “incremental innovation” didn’t qualify it as a new chemical entity justifying protection. The drugmaker says the interpretation violated World Trade Organization agreements and would be a disincentive for investment because much innovation occurs through incremental research. The case became a rallying point for non-governmental organizations, which mounted a campaign against Novartis to drop the legal action. Campaigners argued that tougher patent rules were undermining India’s pivotal role in providing cheap medicines for the developing world through its low-cost generic drugs industry. Some HIV/AIDS advocacy groups are calling on Novartis to drop its legal challenge, saying that if the company wins the case it could restrict access to antiretroviral drugs for millions of people worldwide.
Although some Indian drug companies and groups say that Gleevec is a new formulation of a drug developed before 1995, Novartis says that it is an improved drug. Decisions concerning patents on some newer HIV/AIDS drugs in India have not been announced. If Novartis wins the case, it could potentially set a precedent for other pharmaceutical companies seeking patent protection for drugs, including antiretrovirals, some HIV/AIDS advocates have said.
According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, most of the roughly 9,000 pending patent applications would be affected by this ongoing case. MSF, which relies on India for about 80% of the AIDS drugs it uses to provide 80,000 people worldwide with access to treatment, in a statement said that if India is "made to change its law, many of these medicines could become patented, making them off-limits to the generic competition that has proved to bring prices down".

Sources:

http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/08/payback-novartis-to-slash-investment-in-india/
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=43357


Novartis Fraud

Fraud

Medicaid Fraud in Alabama, USA

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that Glaxo and Novartis won’t get separate trials in a lawsuit claiming they inflated prices paid by the state Medicaid program. The state’s lawsuit says the drugmakers overstated the average wholesale price used to calculate state Medicaid reimbursement rates to pharmacies. Alabama has sued 70 companies over similar allegations, and in February, won a $215 million jury award against AstraZeneca.
The drugmakers argued for separate trials because they face different claims and will employ different defenses. The trial is now slated for June 16 in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Alabama Attorney General Troy King called the Supreme Court ruling “good news for the people who depend on Medicaid to provide important medical services. Now we are going to more quickly determine if these companies took advantage of the state,” King tells the Associated Press. “Obviously, if we’ve got to have 70-something separate trials it would take a lot longer and be more complicated.”
Three years ago, King filed suit over prices for Medicaid recipients. Beyond the trial with AstraZeneca, which is appealing, Dey and Takeda Pharmaceuticals agreed to settle and, collectively, pay $6.75 million. Jere Beasley, a former lieutenant governor whose law firm helped engineer the Vioxx settlement, is representing Alabama in court.
April 19th, 2008

Source:

http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/04/glaxo-and-novartis-face-alabama-fraud-suit/


Novartis Health

Health Threat

USA: Two-year-old Boy Gets Cancer

A two-year-old boy in 2003 got a prescription for Elidel, a skin cream used to alleviate symptoms of eczema, a common skin rash. Ten months later, doctors diagnosed the child with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to the Food and Drug Administration's reporting system for adverse drug events. Elidel of Novartis may cause cancer and is the center of a battle brewing between the FDA and Novartis. The dispute illustrates the FDA's growing dilemma in assessing risks versus benefits.

Source:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB111291972968701524.html?mod=Health

Prexige is as dangerous as Vioxx

The FDA of the USA reports that Prexige of Novartis is as dangerous as Vioxx of Merck causing heart attacks and even deaths.

Source:

http://vioxxskandal.twoday.net


Novartis Killing

Killing

Australia: Killing 2 Patients with Prexige

Australia's drugs regulator has banned the use of Prexige, a painkiller made by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, after the deaths of two patients. After 8 reports of serious liver damage--including two deaths and two liver transplants linked to the use of Novartis' COX-2 painkiller, Prexige (Lumiracoxib), Australia's drug regulator has banned its use. The drug is currently approved in 50 countries and Novartis plans to file with the FDA for a marketing license later this year. The case, once again, underscores the inconsistent, financially-driven drug approval criteria used to approve new drugs for marketing. The process results in consumers' lives being put at risk. Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said it had received eight reports of serious liver side effects - including two deaths and two liver transplants - linked with the use of the drug, also known as Lumiracoxib. Prexige had initially been seen as a blockbuster seller for Novartis, but analysts' expectations collapsed after the Vioxx withdrawal, and there were doubts whether Prexige would ever win US approval.
Novartis has been plagued by a number of drug setbacks this year, delaying the launch of its diabetes drug Galvus because of safety concerns, and also evaluating the launch of a generic version of its Lotrel blood pressure treatment.
August 12, 2007

Source:

http://ahrp.blogspot.com/2007/08/australia-bans-novartis-cox-2.html

Brazil: Syngenta's armed militia kills peasant protesting against GMO soy fields

Novartis Syngenta Brazil
NOTE: Syngenta is a company owned by Novartis

The Syngenta's field trial was occupied in the morning of the 21st of October 2007 by about 150 peasants from Via Campesina as before in March 2006. During the re-occupation of the area, the rural workers lighted fireworks and the security men that were at the company's field left the place. Around 13:30 a micro-bus sttoped in front of the main entrance and a militia of about 40 gunmen heavily armed got off the bus shooting towards the peasants. The gunmen broke the front porch, executed Valmir Motta with two shots on his chest, shot other 5 peasants and beated on Isabel do Nascimento de Souza, who is at the hospital, severly wounded.
Syngenta has been hiring security services that act in irregular way on that region. There is that Syngenta hires illegaly security men, an armed militia that does violent evictions and attacks the landless peasant camps in that region.
Oct. 22, 2007

Sources:

http://www.agenciadenoticias.prgov.br/modules/news/article.php?storyid=33386
http://www.aseed.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=479&Itemid=1
http://www.gmwatch.org

USA: Dog killed with Deramaxx

On February 25, 2003, the dog Silk was prescribed Deramaxx for a left rear leg injury. On February 27, 2003, after just two 100 mg tablets were given, Silk experienced a Deramaxx Adverse Reaction that would leave her life in jeopardy. Silk spent approximately six days and nights in a Specialist Hospital on IV fluids. A scope was performed and the results were that her entire stomach lining had been sloughed off. Silk had bled from every orifice in her body.
Novartis insisted that Silk's Deramaxx Adverse Reaction was "Rare", or "One in a Million". The FDA has sent "Dear Doctor" letters to Novartis, concerning their objections to Animal Health US, Inc. for their Deramaxx false marketing tactics.

Source:

http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/nsaid/memorial13.html

UK: Killing Patients with Ritalin

Daniel Fletcher, an 11 years old boy, was first diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the age of two, and just three years later the little boy was prescribed the amphetamine-like drug Ritalin from Novartis. The effect, says his mother Hayley, was a loss of appetite but no difference in his behaviour. "So the doctor kept upping the doses until he was on six times the normal dose, yet he was still hyperactive."
At the age of 14 he was put on Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug usually given to schizophrenics. "It was as if my son had been replaced by a doped-up zombie,' said his mother, "I could hardly wake him in the morning. It was as if all his personality was disappearing, like a patient in a mental institution."
Hundreds of thousands of others in th UK are still being prescribed Ritalin, an amphetamine-like stimulant which has the same effect as "speed" and cocaine, and which, according to new evidence from the U.S., doesn't even work in the long-term. Ritalin is a methylphenidate which acts in a similar way to cocaine by stimulating the central nervous system, which, paradoxically, can have a calming and focusing effect. Scientists are unclear why it works in this way.
Recent findings suggest that Ritalin can stunt growth as well as causing heart problems, insomnia and weight problems. In the U.S., there have been 51 deaths among children and adults taking Ritalin since 1999. According to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, 11 British children on Ritalin have died.
Experts fear that inappropriate drugs are not only being used to control children's behaviour, but are being massively over-prescribed to some children who are simply naughty.
Novartis, which makes Ritalin, says: "Ritalin has a long record as a safe and effective medication.“

Source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=494862&in_page_id=1770


Novartis Poisoning

Poisoning the Environment


USA: Novartis regrets the loss of Diazinon

Novartis Crop Protection decided not to pursue research requested by EPA to support indoor applications of Diazinon, which eliminated its uses in greenhouses, residential settings, commercial buildings, hospitals, schools, and warehouses. "We regret that Novartis has had to make a business decision to no longer support indoor uses of Diazinon," Novartis announced. "We regret the loss of this valuable tool, particularly for our colleagues in the ornamental and structural pest control markets. Unfortunately, sales in these sectors no longer justify the heavy commitment of resources now required to support any indoor uses."
The NCR (U.S. National Academy’s National Research Council) recommended that more government-sponsored research and incentives are needed to spur the development and use of alternative pesticides or new chemical pesticides that pose fewer risks to humans and the environment, and that are not too costly to use.

Source:

Hawaii Landscape, Official Publication of the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii. Sept/Oct 2000. Vol. 4, No. 5, p. 7.
http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/reports/HIlandsc_pop_insecticides.htm

Syngenta: 40 Years Poisoning the Environment with Paraquat

Syngenta insists on further use of Paraquat: The pesticide Paraquat, which has been sold for 40 years, is one of the most important products of Syngenta, a subsidiary of Novartis. Following a lawsuit Paraquat is banned in the EU since July 2007. Even multinationals like Dole and Chiquita do not use Paraquat any more because of its high risks. Dangers to the health of farmers and environment are well documented. Despite this Syngenta continues to sell Paraquat in countries where it has not been banned, like Sri Lanka or Bangla Desh.

G.A. Matthews: "Attitudes and behaviours regarding use of crop protection products - A survey of more than 8500 smallholders in 26 countries." In: "Crop Protection", Vol. 27, Issues 3-5, March-May 2008. Seiten 834 - 846.

Source:

http://www.woz.ch/artikel/2008/nr15/wissen/16183.html


Novartis Repression

Repression


Germany: Spying Upon the Employees

Novartis_spying
Novartis Pharma GmbH of Germany received the BigBrotherAward 2007 for spying upon their employees and the resulting breach of personality rights.
It has a standard procedure of sending detectives after its sales representatives to meticulously take minutes of their visits to GPs and pharmacies. Results from a survey at the work place, which was expressly declared confidential, were returned to the employees with an appraisal from the human resources department.
Especially when it comes to the sales force, the reality seems to be closer to the state of war that was evoked a few years ago, namely when the CEO of the pharmaceutical branch of Novartis AG tried to motivate his sales representatives with slogans like "Kill To Win - No Prisoners". Even if the wording had to be toned down after protests, martial vocabulary still dominates internal communications, as one can see from conference papers of the German branch of Novartis Pharma GmbH. "The best product, the best weapons." "Street fighting." "To redline and attack the competition without compromise."
Along with the inofficial encouragement of employees to squeal on their colleagues, sleuths are being sent after sales staff to meticulously write down the details of each visit. "Seek, and ye shall find", and each find makes it easier for the company to get rid of an unwanted employee. Such continuous surveillance in violation of personality rights seems to be standard behaviour - even the works council feels a need to warn about this in one of its publications. And we might ask ourselves whether the works council shouldn't protect the employees against such measures, rather than just inform about them.
Apparently, there is some method in this carefree approach to personality rights of the employees, despite all the standards set by self-commitments. This must be the only explanation why the results of a supposedly confidential online survey, termed "self-assessment", were returned to employees a short time later: personalised, rated and with suggestions for improvement from the staff department.

Sources:

http://www.bigbrotherawards.de/2007/.lab
http://www.verstecken.net/index.php/2007/10/14/der-big-brother-award-2007/


More to come...

Novartis HLS

In the meantime...

Inform the public about more scandals and crimes of Novartis
(open publishing)

http://groups.google.com/group/novartis-crimes