Canadian Agency Restores Funding To Drug Safety Group

After more than a year of intrigue that involved accusations of privacy breaches, staff firings, an apparent suicide and lawsuits, the British Columbia health ministry in Canada has restored funding to a controversial program called Therapeutics Initiative, which evaluates a government database for drug safety and effectiveness.   In a brief statement on its web site, the ministry says that a contract with Therapeutics Initiative has been restored with $550,000 in funding, along with another $150,000 for several contracted reviews. Some 280 ministry employees have also received privacy and data security training, something that contractors will also be required to receive. “Restoring secure data access and contracts comes after taking steps to strengthen the security of health information at the ministry, and make approved data available more quickly for researchers,” the ministry statement says, adding that random audits will now be conducted to determine how researchers are using ministry data. The announcement comes a year after the ministry restricted access to its Pharmanet database, fired several employees and suspended its contract with Therapeutics Initiative amid allegations of privacy breaches and conflicts of interest. At one point, the Royal Mounted Police were called in to assist with an investigation, although the ministry never fully explained the circumstances that led to its actions. The move led to an outcry for the way the ministry handled the episode,...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs