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Healthy
Skepticism
Soapbox
Durhane WongRieger:
Associations
with the
pharmaceutical
industry
Dr Durhane Wong-Rieger
(PhD) has strong links with
many pharmaceutical
companies via a loose
network of industry-funded
patient-related organisations
and several marketing/public
relations companies. WongRieger is very prominent in
the consumer advocacy field
in Canada, but in recent years
she has also been involved in
meetings and events in
Europe and Brazil and
Pakistan.
Wong-Rieger is the Chair,
President, CEO, or Secretary
for at least six industryfunded organisations in
Canada. At least four of these
organisations share the same
Toronto office (151 Bloor
Street West, Suite 600,
Toronto) , with the same fax
number and the same or
similar phone numbers. These
organisations bear the
hallmarks of 'astroturf' lobby
groups – front groups that are
set up to lobby for
commercial or other interests
in the guise of community
groups.
Several of these organisations
would be likely to be
perceived as charities, but
only the Canadian
Organization for Rare
Disorders is included in
Canada Revenue Agency's list
of Canadian registered
charities [ www.craarc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/nln_lstngs/
cnrg_ntrm-eng.html ].(1)
A number of key themes
dominate the public face of
the groups with which WongRieger is involved:






the need and right of
patients to participate in
policy processes in
relation to access to
drugs, both
internationally and within
specific jurisdictions
the need and right of
patients to receive better
information about drugs;
this has included a
consistent and explicit
call for legalisation of
direct-to-consumer
advertising
the need and right of
patients to have better
and faster access to
drugs
the need for the health
system to be patientfocused/centred/driven
the claim that Canada is
the only developed
country (or one of very
few) without an orphan
drug policy
barriers inherent in
Canada's single-payer
healthcare system
Consumer Advocare
Network
www.consumeradvocare.org
Website set up on WardNet
(see below) server on 5 July
2002.
Wong-Rieger is Chair of the
Consumer Advocare Network.
According to the website, the
Network is 'a national
network of healthcare
consumer organizations and
individuals in Canada' [
www.consumeradvocare.org].
However, there is no
information on the website
about who these
organisations and individuals
are. Nor is there any
information about staff, and
there are no annual reports.
The Network's origins are
strongly linked to industry
advocacy for DTCA in Canada
According to Batt (2002):
In October
2000 [WongRieger]
invited
representative
s from the
pharmaceutic
al industry,
the media and
patient
organizations
to meet and
discuss DTCA.
This process
spawned a
Joint Working
Group and the
Consumer
Advocare
Network…. In
consultation
with her
advisory
group, she
released a
position paper
last fall
arguing for
regulated DTC
promotion of
prescription
drugs.
In 2002, Wong-Rieger
published a paper arguing
that Canadians 'demand'
regulated DTCA. Similarly, in
2003, she published a paper
arguing that consumers have
a 'fundamental right to
information about prescription
drugs, which includes directto-consumer advertising, or
promotion, of drugs' (Batt
2005, p. 10). The paper is not
currently available on the
Network website, but an
abstract is:
This paper
calls upon
Health
Canada to
establish an
appropriately
regulated
environment
for direct
consumer
access to
information
about
prescription
drugs.
Currently,
Canadians are
bombarded
with direct-toconsumer
(DTC)
advertising
emanating
from the
United States
about
American
drugs. At the
same time,
pharmaceutic
al companies
are not
allowed to
promote
awareness of
prescription
drugs licensed
in Canada. As
a result,
Canadian
consumers
often know
about
American
drugs but
very little
about drugs
available in
Canada.
[
www.consume
radvocare.org
/index.php/ca
/content/view
/full/57]
The pharmaceutical industry
was closely involved in the
preparation of this paper:
In a nineteenpage brief
recently
submitted to
Health
Canada, the
Consumer
Advocare
Network
called for the
legalization of
DTCA. A
review of the
brief reveals
that of the
twenty-four
members of
the Joint
Working
Group who
prepared it,
twelve were
from the
pharmaceutic
al industry or
pharmaceutic
al marketing
and/or
consulting
firms. Some
of the other
twelve were
from
organizations
known to
receive
significant
support from
pharmaceutic
al
companies….
Perhaps not
surprisingly,
the Network
ended up
lobbying for
changes to
legislation
that better
serve the
pharmaceutic
al industry's
interests.
(Downie
2006, pp.
436-437)
The Network has also lobbied
against the Canadian Agency
for Drugs and Technologies in
Health's Common Drug
Review, which is similar to
the process used by
Australia's Pharmaceutical
Benefits Advisory Committee
to decide whether new drugs
should be listed on the
Pharmaceutical Benefits
Scheme. In Toronto on 21-22
September 2002, Chris Ward,
and his PR organisation, Ward
Advocacy Communications
(see below), facilitated a
Consumer Advocare Network
meeting to discuss – and
criticise – the Common Drug
Review. Participants were 'an
ad hoc group of concerned
Canadians'
[www.hepcbc.ca/bulletin/Nov
2002.pdf ]. On 23 April 2007,
Wong-Rieger, in her capacity
as President of the Canadian
Organization for Rare
Disorders (see below), again
publicly criticised the
Common Drug Review
[http://web.archive.org/web/
20080509070603/http://www
.wardhealth.com/index.php/e
n/events/newsmaker_breakfa
st_the_cdr_and_rare_disease
s].
The Network received funding
from Canada's ResearchBased Pharmaceutical
Companies (Rx&D) , for a
highly publicised cross-border
bus trip on 24 July 2003 from
Saint John, New Brunswick, to
Bangor, Maine, for a group of
Canadian patients to receive
'health services not readily
available to them at home'
[www.consumeradvocare.org/
index.php/ca/content/view/ful
l/65 ] . The bus trip was
organised by Chris Ward of PR
organisation Ward Health
Strategies (see below)
[www.ipi.org/ipi/IPIPressRele
ases.nsf/0/5350615e774d6ff2
85256c0f006967e4?OpenDoc
ument ] .
In February 2008, the
Network jointly hosted a
conference in Brazil on access
to medicines
[www.abrale.org.br/fique_atu
alizado/interno.php?id=716 ]
. Although patient groups
were the specific target
audience for this meeting,
members of a Brazilian
HIV/AIDS support
organisation, from
GTPI/REBRIP, reported that
they were banned
from attending
[ http://liveweb.archive.org/h
ttp://lists.essential.org/piper
mail/ip-health/2008April/012520.html]. The
conference was supported by
an unconditional educational
grant from the
Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America
(PhRMA) (Froehner 2008). At
the conference, there was
substantial criticism of the
World Health Organization's
Intergovernmental Working
Group on Public Health,
Innovation and Intellectual
Property (IGWG) deliberations
about international patent
protection, which are
perceived as a threat by the
pharmaceutical industry
(Weissman 2008).
Canadian Organization for
Rare Disorders
www.raredisorders.ca
Website set up on the
WardNet server on 20
February 2006.
Wong-Rieger is President of
the Canadian Organization for
Rare Disorders (CORD).
Elisabeth Fowler, Partner of
PR company World Health
Advocacy (formerly Vice-
President of Ward Health
Strategies; see below), is a
Board Member of CORD [
www.cord.ca/index.php/site/a
bout_us ].
According to its website,
CORD is 'Canada's national
network for organizations
representing all those with
rare disorders' [
www.cord.ca/index.php/site/a
bout_us ]. The website lists
36 consumer organisations as
affiliate members [
www.cord.ca/index.php/site/
membership/affiliate_group ].
CORD was registered as a
Canadian charity on 1 January
2006 [ www.craarc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/nln_lstngs/
cnrg_ntrm-eng.html].
The predecessor of CORD was
founded in 1995. CORD
'reorganized and revitalized
itself' in 2004. In 2005,
Wong-Rieger became
President and ' made room
and staff available in her own
[health care consulting]
company's Toronto office for
the national headquarters'
[National Post supplement,
via
[http://web.archive.org/web/
20080405195426/http://www
.raredisorders.ca/index.php/si
te/rare_disease_day ].
CORD is funded by 25
pharmaceutical/biotechnology
companies (see table). CORD
is also funded by Bayshore
Home Health, which provides
marketing services, including
product, patient and physician
support services, to
pharmaceutical companies,
and Mark Krueger &
Associates, a New York PR
company (see below)
[ http://web.archive.org/web/
20090227052502/http://www
.raredisorders.ca/index.php/si
te/membership/corporate ].
Institute for Optimizing
Health Outcomes
www.optimizinghealth.org
Website set up on WardNet
server on 30 January 2000.
Wong-Rieger is President and
CEO of t he Institute for
Optimizing Health Outcomes
(IOHO).
The Board of Directors
includes unspecified
'physicians, allied health
professionals, health
educators, and
representatives of the
patient/ consumer
community'
[www.optimizinghealth.org/in
dex.php/site/about_us ].
According to its website,
IOHO 'brings together
individuals and organizations
with the commitment,
experiences, and expertise to
bring the vision of optimal
health to reality'
[www.optimizinghealth.org/in
dex.php/site/about_us ]. The
individuals and organisations
are not identified.
IOHO is a member of the
Ontario Patient Self
Management Network [
www.optimizinghealth.org ] ,
and was a leading partner in
its establishment
[www.optimizinghealth.org/in
dex.php/site/partnership_proj
ects ] .
In May 2008, Wong-Rieger
was a featured speaker
representing IOHO at the 1st
Pan American Thalassemia
Conference in Rio de Janeiro [
http://sbhh.com.br/rss/notici
a.php?id=16 ].
Ontario Patient Self
Management Network
www.ontpsm.net
Website set up on WardNet
server on 30 Dec 2005.
Wong-Rieger is Chair of the
Ontario Patient Self
Management Network
(OPSMN).
OPSMN was launched on 6
March 2006 by a consortium
of healthcare institutions and
patient associations, including
the Institute for Optimizing
Health Outcomes, purportedly
'to bring patient self
management to the people of
Ontario' [Ontario Self
Management Network
Launches to Give Patients
Control,
via http://web.archive.org/we
b/20080808134314/http://w
ww.ontpsm.net/archives.php]
.
Anemia Institute for
Research and Education
www.anemiainstitute.org
Website set up on WardNet
server on 19 January 2000.
Wong-Rieger is President and
CEO of t he Anemia Institute
for Research and Education
(AIRE).
AIRE is a program of the
Institute for Optimizing Health
Outcomes [
www.anemiainstitute.org ].
AIRE is a self-described 'nonprofit organization dedicated
to generating and sharing
knowledge about anemia as a
serious condition', with three
mandates: research,
education, and advocacy
[www.anemiainstitute.org/ind
ex.php/en/GeneralInformation/About-Us ].
AIRE was funded in its first
year (and perhaps
subsequently) by JanssenOrtho
[www.marketwire.com/pressrelease/National-DiamondPublic-Relations-343256.html
]. AIRE has also received
funding from other
pharmaceutical companies,
including Novartis,
ApoPharma (Apotex), and
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
[www.anemiainstitute.org/ind
ex.php/en/content/download/
76/303/file/2007%20Anemia
%20Conference%20Program.
pdf]. In 2004 it published
anemia management
guidelines developed using
funding from ' multiple
pharmaceutical companies'
[www.patientsorganizations.o
rg/attach.pl/774/440/Collabor
ating%20in%20Primary%20C
are%20to%20Deliver%20Pati
ent-Centred%20Care%20%20Durhane%20WongRieger.ppt ]. Wong-Rieger
has featured prominently in
several press releases about
Novartis's oral iron chelator
Exjade™ (deferasirox);
sometimes interviews with
her are offered
[www.ca.novartis.com/news/
en/2005/pr_54.shtml].
Exjade is also promoted on
links from the AIRE website
[Ontario Residents click here /
All other provinces click here,
www.anemiainstitute.org ]
and in an AIRE video posted
on YouTube
[www.youtube.com/watch?v=
QC6J6zVpdsU ]. Wong-Rieger
also promoted Exjade at a
thalassaemia conference in
Pakistan in 2007 [
www.thalforum.ca/forums/sh
owthread.php?p=8632 ].
Canadian Fabry
Association
www.fabrycanada.com
Wong-Rieger is Secretary of
the Canadian Fabry
Association (CFA).
CFA is an affiliate member of
the Canadian Organization for
Rare Disorders
[http://www.fabrycanada.com
/index.php?option=com_wrap
per&Itemid=41 ].
According to its website, CFA
is a non-profit organisation 'to
raise awareness and educate
the public about Fabry
disease, a very rare life
threatening genetic,
lysosomal storage disorder'.
Its primary agenda seems to
be lobbying for governments
to provide greater access to
enzyme replacement therapy
(ERT), which costs
approximately $250,000 per
patient per year
[ http://web.archive.org/web/
20090322020837/http://www
.fabrycanada.com/content/vie
w/10/9/].
CFA has three sponsors:
Shire, Genzyme, and Amicus
Therapeutics. CFA held a
patient information meeting
in Ottawa on 20 September
2008. According to the online
invitation
[http://web.archive.org/web/
20090322020907/http://www
.fabrycanada.com/content/vie
w/2/62/ ] , lunch was to be
provided at no cost,
attendees were to be
reimbursed for travel costs,
and representatives from
Shire, Genzyme, and Amicus
Therapeutics might be in
attendance. The event was
organised by Elisabeth
Fowler, World Health
Advocacy Partner.
Canadian Hepatitis C
Network
www.canhepc.net [not
functioning 22 September
2008;
mentioned http://web.archive
.org/web/20080820135912/h
ttp://www.hcvadvocate.org/n
ews/newsRev/2004/NewsRev41.html]
Wong-Rieger is Secretary of
the Canadian Hepatitis C
Network (CHCN).
CHCN has a very low profile,
and may be defunct, although
Wong-Rieger's role as
Secretary is included in her
brief CV on the website of
Health Canada's Expert
Advisory Committee on the
Vigilance of Health Products,
last modified on 17 December
2007 [ www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhpmps/medeff/eacvhpccvrps/memb-comp-eng.php
].
International Alliance of
Patients' Organizations
www.patientsorganizations.or
g
Wong-Rieger is a member of
the Board of the International
Alliance of Patients'
Organizations (IAPO), elected
at the Annual General
Meeting on 29 March 2007
[www.patientsorganizations.o
rg/attach.pl/2/707/Minutes%
20of%20IAPO%20AGM%202
007.pdf ].
Chris Ward is an IAPO
member, apparently in his
capacity as a member of the
Asthma Society of Canada [
www.patientsorganizations.or
g/attach.pl/2/707/Minutes%2
0of%20IAPO%20AGM%2020
07.pdf ], and voted at the
2007 AGM.
IAPO is a self-proclaimed
'unique global alliance
representing patients of all
nationalities across all disease
areas and promoting patientcentred healthcare around the
world'
[www.patientsorganizations.o
rg/index.pl]. However, it
restricts its definition of a
patient to 'a person with any
chronic disease, illness,
syndrome, impairment or
disability'
[www.patientsorganizations.o
rg/index.pl ], clearly meshing
with the agenda of
pharmaceutical companies
that produce drugs for chronic
conditions.
IAPO was registered as a notfor-profit foundation in the
Netherlands in 1999
[www.patientsorganizations.o
rg/showarticle.pl?id=1&n=11
0 ].
IAPO has strong links with the
pharmaceutical industry.
According to IAPO Chair
Albert van der Zeijden
(2003):
The
Pharmaceutic
al Partners for
Better
Healthcare
(PPBH) was a
collaboration
of about 40
innovative
pharmaceutic
al companies.
It existed
from 1993
until the end
of 1999. IAPO
was founded
in 1999 by
representative
s of forty
patients'
organisations
from many
different
countries with
the aim to
promote the
need for
patientcentred
healthcare,
introducing
the
perspective of
the long-term
patients into
the debate.
PPBH donated
unrestricted
start up
funding for
the year 1999
only. Since
that time
IAPO has
survived by a
variety of
funding
sources,
including
patients'
organisations,
the European
Commission,
in-kind
funding,
foundations
and
unrestricted
funds of a
diversity of
companies,
representing
the
pharmaceutic
al as well as
the medical
devices
industry.
According to Herxheimer
(2003):
The European
Commission
prefers to
hold
discussions
with these
federations
rather than
patient and
consumer
groups,
apparently
because,
unlike most
voluntary
health
organisations,
they claim to
represent
patients in
many
countries.
Herxheimer claimed that
IAPO, along with other
industry-linked organisations,
'successfully lobbied the
commission to propose
allowing industry to provide
direct to consumer
"information" about
prescription medicines'. Van
der Zeijden (2003) denied
that IAPO promoted direct-toconsumer advertising.
IAPO's website lists 13
corporate partners between
2004 and 2008, providing
more detail about the
relationships than is usually
the case. In 2008, there are
seven Gold and five Silver
Industry Partners,
representing a minimum of
[US?]$500,000
[www.patientsorganizations.o
rg/showarticle.pl?id=222;n=1
22] . Industry partners'
numerous benefits and
entitlements include:
an
opportunity to
work with the
patients'
movement at
the
international
level… regular
involvement
and
consultation
on key
healthcare
issues….
entitled to
attend
one/two faceto-face
meetings with
other Partner
Representativ
es and IAPO's
Governing
Board per
year to plan
collaborative
activities,
exchange
views on
current
issues,
discuss
industrypatient
relations, and
work on
developing
the Partners
Framework
further…. the
opportunity to
give advice
during the
development
of the annual
Congress
Programme to
the
Programme
Facilitator and
the
Organizing
Committee.
On 3-4 December 2006, IAPO
convened a workshop in
Brussels on biosimilar
medicines, of which IAPO is
critical. Wong-Rieger chaired
the workshop, with
organisational support from
Mark Krueger & Associates.
Jansen-Cilag, whose parent
company Johnson & Johnson
is an Industry Partner,
provided an 'unrestricted
educational grant' [
www.patientsorganizations.or
g/attach.pl/727/448/IAPO%2
0
Biosimilars%20Workshop%20
Report.doc ] .
Patients and Patents
www.patientsandpatents.com
Website set up on the
WardNet server on 27 July
2007.
Wong-Rieger is a member of
the Advisory Board. Another
member is Dr Kristina
Lybecker, who was a
consultant to Ward Health
Strategies in 2007
[http://web.archive.org/web/
20090111063718/http://www
.patientsandpatents.com/inde
x.php/us/who_we_are/adviso
ry_board ] .
Patients and Patents is a
group that suddenly appeared
in 2007, circulating a 'Patient
Declaration on Medical
Innovation and Access', which
argues that it is essential that
patient groups be directly
involved in WHO's
Intergovernmental Working
Group on Public Health,
Innovation and Intellectual
Property
[www.patientsandpatents.co
m/index.php/us/positions/pati
ent_declaration_on_medical_i
nnovation ].
Patients and Patents is
governed by a seven-member
advisory board. According to
Essential Action (2008):
Six of the
seven
members of
the advisory
board are
linked to the
brand-name
pharmaceutic
al industry,
either directly
as an
individual or
through their
primary
organization,
and the
seventh
member has
at least a
weak tie to
the industry.
A high
proportion of
the signers of
the Patient
Declaration
are also
connected to
the brandname
pharmaceutic
al industry.
We found 61
of 110 of the
signers of the
Declaration
have industry
ties.
Ward Health Strategies /
Ward Advocacy
Communications / World
Health Advocacy /
WardNet
www.wardhealth.com: Ward
Health Strategies, World
Health Advocacy
www.whadvocacy.com
[diverts to
www.wardhealth.com]
www.wardadvocacy.com
[diverts to
www.bayerhealthcareperspect
ives.com]
www.wardnet.com : WardNet
Chris (Christopher) Ward is a
former Canadian Minister of
Education and Government
House Leader. After leaving
politics, he was Vice-President
of Strategic Planning and
Communications for Canada's
Research-Based
Pharmaceutical Companies
(Rx&D)
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Chris_Ward_(Ontario_politicia
n) ]. He then established
Ward Health Strategies, a
public relations company
focusing primarily on health
policy. Ward has collaborated
with Wong-Rieger since at
least 2002. Ward Health
Strategies has subsequently
become World Health
Advocacy, probably in 2008.
Chris Ward is not listed as a
staff member of World Health
Advocacy. However, James
Ward – his son? – is a
Partner. James has 'extensive
experience in managing
successful alliance
development campaigns
including patient workshops
on Global IP in South America
and in Europe and "reverse
bus trips" of patients from
Canada to the U.S. to
highlight access barriers
inherent in a single payer
health care system' [
http://www.wardhealth.com/i
ndex.php/en/about_us/staff ]
; presumably the bus trips
were those organised in 2002
and 2003 by the Consumer
Advocare Network
[www.consumeradvocare.org/
index.php/ca/content/view/ful
l/65].
James Ward also runs
WardNet, a website hosting
and design service, which
hosts the websites of several
organisations with which
Wong-Rieger is involved.
Elisabeth Fowler, now a
Partner of World Health
Advocacy, and until recently
Vice-President of Ward Health
Strategies
[http://web.archive.org/web/
20080511195420/http://www
.wardhealth.com/index.php/e
n/publications/reports_and_re
search_papers/patient_centre
d_care_does_asthma_pass_th
e_test], was previously
Director of Partnership
Development and Acting
Director of Provincial
Government Affairs (Quebec)
for Rx&D, where she was
responsible for 'developing
and implementing national
stakeholder and professional
relations strategies'
[http://web.archive.org/web/
20090517053358/http://www
.wardhealth.com/index.php/e
n/about_us/staff ] .
Mark Krueger & Associates
www.kruegerandassociates.co
m
Mark Krueger & Associates is
a New York company that
specialises in 'health care
constituency relations',
including 'patient group
relationships', which can be
industry code for
'astroturfing'.
Mark Krueger & Associates is
a 'Corporate Friend' of the
Canadian Organization for
Rare Disorders
[www.raredisorders.ca/index.
php/site/membership/corpora
te ].
On 3-4 December 2006, Mark
Krueger & Associates assisted
Wong-Rieger to run an IAPO
workshop in Brussels on
biosimilar medicines
[www.patientsorganizations.o
rg/attach.pl/727/448/IAPO%2
0Biosimilars%20Workshop%2
0Report.doc ] .
1. All URLs in this document
were accessed 22 September
2008.
References
Batt, Sharon (2002). You,
your breast cancer group and
prescription drug ads.
Ottawa: Canadian Breast
Cancer Network.
www.cbcn.ca/en/?email_page
=true&section=1&category=8
01&regionid=&page=5338
(22 September 2008).
Batt, Sharon (2005).
Marching to different
drummers: Health advocacy
groups in Canada and funding
from the pharmaceutical
industry. Toronto: Women
and Health Protection.
www.whpapsf.ca/pdf/corpFunding.pdf
(22 September 2008).
Downie, Jocelyn. (2006).
Grasping the nettle:
Confronting the issue of
competing interests and
obligations in health research
policy. In Colleen M. Flood
(Ed.), Just Medicare: What's
in, what's out, how we decide
(pp. 427-448). Toronto:
University of Toronto Press.
http://books.google.com.au/b
ooks?isbn=0802080022 (22
September 2008).
Essential Action (2008, April
28).Patients, patents and the
pharmaceutical industry: The
pharmaceutical industry ties
of the organization "Patients
and Patents," and the signers
of the "Patient declaration on
medical innovation and
access". Washington DC:
Essential Action.
www.essentialaction.org/acce
ss/uploads/patients.patents.p
harma.pdf (22 September
2008).
Froehner, Juliano (2008, April
15). South American patients
speak out on medical
innovation. Essential
Innovation. http://web.archiv
e.org/web/20090207172839/
http://www.essentialinnovatio
n.org/wordpress/?p=225 (22
September 2008).
Herxheimer, Andrew (2003,
May 31). Relationships
between the pharmaceutical
industry and patients'
organisations. BMJ,
326(7400), 1208-1210.
www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full
/326/7400/1208 (22
September 2008).
van der Zeijden, Albert
(2003, August 4). Corrections
– the International Alliance of
Patients' Organizations. BMJ,
326. [rapid response].
www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/32
6/7400/1208#35352 (22
September 2008).
Weissman, Robert (2008, May
1). Big Pharma digs in. The
Huffington Post.
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rt-weissman/big-pharmadigs-in_b_99666.html (22
September 2008).
Wong-Reiger [sic], Durhane.
A case for regulated direct-toconsumer promotion of
prescription drugs. Toronto:
Advocare (Consumer
Advocare Network), August
18, 2003. Accessed online
December 1, 2004 at:
www.consumeradvocare.org/i
ndex.php/ca/content/view/full
/57/ [cited by Batt 2005].
Wong-Rieger, Durhane
(2002). Canadians demand
regulated direct-to-consumer
advertizing of prescription
drugs. Canadian Breast
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category=801&regionid=&pag
e=5339 (22 September
2008).
Organisation
Interrelationships
Lifespan
WongRieger
positions
Pharmaceutical/bio
industry funding
Consumer
Advocare
Network
member of
IAPO
2001? –
Founder
and
Chair
Canada's ResearchPharmaceutical Com
(Rx&D), PhRMA
Canadian
Organization
for Rare
Disorders
member of
IAPO
1995? –
President
Actelion Pharmaceu
Alexion Pharmaceu
Amgen Canada, Am
Therapeutics, ApoP
Bayer, BioMarin
Pharmaceutical,
BIOTECanada, Celg
Debiovison, Genzym
Canada, Gilead Scie
Canada, HoffmannIkaria, Merck Fross
Neurochem, Novart
Pharmaceuticals Ca
Orfagen, Ortho Biot
Pfizer, PTC Therape
Rare Disease Thera
SHIRE Human Gene
Therapies, Sigma-T
Pharmaceuticals, YM
Biosciences
(CORD)
Institute for
Optimizing
Health
Outcomes
(IOHO)
member of
and leading
partner in the
establishment
of OPSMN
Ontario
Patient Self
Management
Network
President
and CEO
none identified on w
but partners include
'industry'
6 March
2006 –
Chair
none identified on w
2000 –
President
and CEO
Janssen-Ortho, Nov
ApoPharma (Apotex
Pharmaceuticals
Secretary
Shire, Genzyme, Am
Therapeutics
Secretary
none identified
(OPSMN)
Anemia
Institute for
Research and
Education
program of
IOHO
Canadian
Fabry
Association
affiliate
member of
CORD
(CFA)
Canadian
Hepatitis C
Network
(CHCN)
2002? –
?
International
Alliance of
Patients'
Organizations
(IAPO)
Consumer
Advocare
Network and
CORD are
members
Patients and
Patents
Posted on 22 Sep 2008 - 11:36
AM by Robyn Clothier.
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