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Interviews | Dinesh Thakur, an ex-Ranbaxy employee who blew the whistle on the company, interviewed by The Economic Times
Dinesh Thakur, an ex-Ranbaxy employee who blew the whistle on the company, interviewed by The Economic Times

Dinesh Thakur, an ex-Ranbaxy employee who blew the whistle on the company, interviewed by The Economic Times

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published Published on May 27, 2013   modified Modified on May 27, 2013
-The Economic Times


Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy recently paid $500 million to the US government to settle civil and criminal charges for making fraudulent statements to the US FDA and selling adulterated drugs in the US. Dinesh Thakur, an ex-Ranbaxy employee who blew the whistle on the company, talks to ET about the five-year long investigation and the future of generic drug companies in the US. Edited Excerpts:

* You think you would have found support from the Indian authorities had you carried this 'expose' in India?

A FDA is probably a mature regulatory organisation globally. I have worked in this industry for long, apart from the two years in Ranbaxy. I know how FDA works, what laws and regulations are followed, so it was natural for me to contact FDA.

* The Fortune story on Ranbaxy had quite a few revelations. Did you approach the top management, like Malvinder Singh and inform him of what was happening?

I was in touch with Dr Kumar, he was talking to the board. So, I was keeping him informed about my findings in the investigation.

* Have you met Malvinder Singh?

I have met him many times. I used to run portfolio review meetings for the company since I was the head of portfolio management, and he was head of business. So, he used to attend those meetings. I am not sure if he remembers that, but yes I have met him.

* Malvinder Singh in an interview has maintained that he never met you, and doesn't know who you are. Your comments...

I am sure he meets many people, and I am sure it is difficult for him to remember.

* The journey must have been quite frightening...

There's no legal framework to do something like this in India. You had to work hard to get to every document, so it was very difficult to navigate.

* Do other Indian companies follow regulatory measures to the book?

I have no idea what other Indian companies do, I have worked in only one Indian company and can speak about that company. So, I have no basis or information to talk about other companies.

* Do you think Indians should be worried about the quality of drugs that they take?

That's a question Indian regulators must answer. I am not in a position to answer questions on behalf of the safety of medicines made by manufacturers in India. All I can say is that in this particular case, it was not possible for me to accept what was happening. I made sure that patients didn't suffer because of the quality of medicines made by Ranbaxy.

* While the investigations were on, did you worry about your and your family's safety?

Thakur's attorney Andrew Beato responds: The process of being a whistle blower is inherently complex. It is a long process and there are a range of issues that every whistle blower has to contend with, from the future ability to choose employment to personal safety. So, in this particular case, we made sure all of his concerns were properly addressed.
 
 
Image Courtesy: The Economic Times

The Economic Times, 27 May, 2013, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/i-hope-the-indian-law-protects-people-like-me-dinesh-thakur/articleshow/20284048.cms


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