Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19305

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Publication type: Magazine

Astellas' lawsuit against Prescrire: French court rules that Prescrire did not
Prescrire Int. 2011 Mar 2
http://english.prescrire.org/en/81/168/46799/0/NewsDetails.aspx

Abstract:

A Paris court handed down its ruling on Wednesday 2 March, rejecting a suit brought by pharmaceutical company Astellas against the French journal Prescrire. At a time when French society is reeling in the wake of the scandal caused by weight-loss drug Mediator° (benfluorex), the 2 March ruling comes as very good news for healthcare professionals and for patients.

Full text:

In its September 2009 French edition, Prescrire analysed a new indication for topical tacrolimus (Protopic°, from Astellas) in the prevention of outbreaks of atopic eczema. Prescrire concluded its 2009 article, which is a continuation of an in-depth review published in 2003, by saying that tacrolimus should be avoided in atopic eczema, in view of its unfavourable risk-benefit balance.
The drug company Astellas Pharma filed suit against Prescrire on the grounds of “denigration”, protesting against the “erroneous, or even deceitful, nature of certain critiques contained in the disputed article”.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris delivered its ruling on Wednesday 2 March, rejecting the suit brought by drug company Astellas. The judges indeed found that Prescrire “did not exceed the legitimate objective that it had set for itself, nor the expectation on the part of its subscribers to have access to a documented critical analysis on a subject which falls into the domain of public interest and healthcare safety”.
What is at stake in a decision of this kind, as Prescrire’s lawyers Jean Martin and Guillaume Prigent pointed out, is recognition of the right to information and the right to criticise, unimpeded by the official position of health authorities, by the kind of censorship that Astellas was attempting to impose. This right must nonetheless be supported by rigorous and fully documented analysis, which the court recognised was indeed the case with Prescrire’s article.
At a time when French society is reeling in the wake at the Mediator° scandal and the failings of its drug regulatory authorities, the 2 March ruling comes as very good news for healthcare professionals and for patients.

Dans son numéro de septembre 2009, Prescrire a analysé une nouvelle
indication du tacrolimus dermique (Protopic°, de la firme Astellas) en
prévention des poussées d’eczéma atopique. Prescrire a conclu son texte
de 2009, prolongeant un texte approfondi de 2003, que le tacrolimus
était
à éviter dans l’eczéma atopique, compte tenu de sa balance
bénéfices-risques défavorable.

La firme pharmaceutique Astellas Pharma a assigné Prescrire en justice
pour dénigrement, en dénonçant « le caractère erroné, voire mensonger,
de certaines critiques figurant dans l’article litigieux ».

Le tribunal de grande instance de Paris a rendu son arrêt le mercredi 2
mars, en déboutant la firme Astellas. Les juges ont en effet estimé que
Prescrire « n’a pas excédé le but légitime qu’elle s’assignait, ni
l’attente de ses abonnés de disposer dans un domaine relevant de
l’intérêt public et de la sécurité sanitaire d’une analyse critique
documentée ».

L’enjeu d’une telle décision, comme le soulignent les avocats de
Prescrire, maîtres Jean Martin et Guillaume Prigent, est la consécration
du droit à l’information et à la critique et à son absence de
limitation par la position officielle des autorités sanitaires ; censure
que prétendait imposer la firme Astellas Pharma. Ce droit doit toutefois
s’appuyer sur une analyse rigoureuse et documentée, ce que le Tribunal
reconnait être le cas de l’article de Prescrire.

A l’heure où la société française découvre avec effarement l’affaire
Mediator° et les insuffisances des agences du médicament, le jugement du
2
mars est une très bonne nouvelle pour les soignants et les patients.