Doctor Suggests Merck Trial May Have Led to Demotion
Less than a week after his videotaped lambasting of Merck was played in a Houston federal courthouse, Dr. Eric Topol, a prominent cardiologist, has lost his title as chief academic officer of the Cleveland Clinic's medical college.
In the courthouse yesterday, jurors continued deliberating whether Merck's painkiller Vioxx had caused the death of a Florida main in 2001.
Dr. Topol said yesterday that he believed that his demotion might be related to his testimony in that case, the third Vioxx lawsuit to reach trial. Dr. Topol has questioned Vioxx's safety for years and said in his testimony, played in court last Saturday, that he believed that Merck acted irresponsibly and committed scientific misconduct when it promoted Vioxx.
"The hardest thing in the world is just trying to tell the truth, to do the right thing for patients, and you get vilified," he said yesterday. "No wonder nobody stands up to the industry."
Dr. Topol will remain the chief of cardiology at the clinic, a prestigious nonprofit health system with almost $4 billion in annual revenue, and the loss of his title as chief academic officer does not affect his salary. But he will lose his position on the clinic's governing board. His job change was first reported yesterday by The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Dr. Topol did not offer specific evidence to back his allegation.
Eileen Sheil, a spokeswoman for the clinic, said that Dr. Topol was not being punished for his Vioxx testimony. Dr. Topol lost his title as part of a broader administrative reorganization, Ms. Sheil said.[Uh huh]
"The organization made the decision that that position was no longer needed," she said.[LOL]
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