RESEARCHERS THREATENED, INQUIRY TOLD

Scientists say they were told to rush drug approvals

OTTAWA - Health Canada scientists were threatened with transfers if they
didn't speed up their approval of drug evaluations, a labour adjudicator was
told yesterday.

Dr. Shiv Chopra, a drug evaluator in the Health Protection Branch's bureau
of veterinary medicine, told a Public Service Staff Relations Board hearing
a manager threatened to ship him and his colleagues to other departments
where they would "never be heard of again" if they didn't hurry their
evaluations.

Chopra and five other scientists from the branch have filed a grievance
claiming they have been harassed by management and pressured into approving
drugs they consider unsafe.

They've also been instructed not to talk to the media. None of the
scientists would comment after the hearing yesterday.

"The government of Canada has tried to silence these experts," Maude Barlow,
chairperson of the Council of Canadians, told a news conference supporting
the Health Canada employees.

"The brave scientists speak for many, many Canadians and we are deeply
concerned by the attempts of Health Canada to shut them up," she said.

Chopra and the other scientists have raised concerns about the safety of a
bovine growth hormone that St. Louis-based Monsanto Inc. has been trying to
get approved in Canada for the last nine years.

INCREASED PRODUCTION

The hormone, which is administered to cows to increase milk production, has
been approved in the United States since 1994 and is marketed under the
tradename Posilac.

But scientists contend there is not enough long-term data to show that the
hormone won't later harm humans who drink milk from treated cows.

They have publicly criticized the way the department handled the drug
review, especially in determining that the hormone won't cause any undue
health effects for humans.

Dr. Margaret Haydon told the tribunal yesterday that managers tried to get
her to approve another growth hormone, marketed by Hoechst Canada as
Revalor-H, although she was concerned not enough safety data had been
submitted.

After letters from the company complaining about the length of time it took
to get the drug approved, Haydon was told she could be sued if Hoechst was
unhappy with the drug review process, she testified.

The scientists contend managers in Health Canada are more concerned about
pleasing the companies that submit the drug applications and are paying for
their approval than they are about protecting health.

"Revalor-H was approved over the objections of three Health Canada
scientists," said Elizabeth May of the Sierra Club of Canada.

Checked-by: Don Beck