Vecchie storie di corruzione

Sto sistemando gli appunti. In un libro del 1978 (*), Susan Rose-Ackerman cita un articolo pubblicato due anni prima nel New York Times, in cui si parla di corruzione nel settore della sanità in Europa. Mi ha punto curiosità e l'ho reperito. Sono gli anni dello scandalo Lockheed, e si afferma, per quanto riguarda la corruzione da parte di imprese farmaceutiche statunitensi in Europa:

"A former executive of one American company—who demanded anonymity before discussing the subject—said recently that there have been payoffs here, but that they are “nickels and dimes compared to the aerospace industry”, which has been capturing the blackest headlines lately. Indeed, the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation alone has admitted to almost half again the worldwide total of payments disclosed by American drug companies."

La tangente del vicino è sempre più grande, chissà. Ma ecco la parte che riguarda l'Italia:

"In Italy, according to a former company executive who worked there for years, a dozen drug manufacturers, including some American companies, once banded together to back an industry‐sponsored bill in the Italian Parliament that would have allowed manufacturers to sell their nonprescription products in supermarkets and other retail outlets. There, they would no longer be subjected to price control.

The companies were assessed $80,000 each, according to the source, with the $1 million to be put into a war chest of the Christian Democratic party.

The Government fell before the bill would be enacted, and it could not be determined definitely whether money, actually changed hands. But the informant said it “undoubtedly” had, A Milan executive who was said to have made the financial arrangements now works for a different company in the same city. Efforts to reach him were not successful.

Again in Italy, according to a source familiar with the situation, one multinational company got authority, after bribing fiscal inspectors, to sell throat lozenges—at import prices—that it then arranged to make locally at low cost. The practice was said to have continued for around 15 years in the 1950's and 1960's before the company decided it should “regularize” its position.

Another industry source said “bribes” of a few thousand dollars were all that was needed in Rome to get full copies from the Ministry of Health of new drug registration files. This eased the way for “pirates,” usually small manufacturers to deal in products based on patent infringement. Italy has had no drug patent legislation, which, according to the source, “has made the country into a Jungle.”"

Drugs in Europe: Collision of Interests, di Clyde H. Farnswort. 21 marzo 1976.

Rose-Ackerman, Susan. 1978. Corruption: A Study in Political Economy. New York, NY: Academic Press.