hi all

this one does not warrant a "yowsa!" but a "yikes!"

sheesh, talking about "professional" behaviour ...

i wonder whether the pharmaceutical companies involved
will be investigated ...

it takes two to tango ...
a graft-er and a graft-ee ...

where / who is the watchdog here?
(i.e. the moderator?)

20 years?
double yikes!

janet

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Former leading neurology professor suspected of medical malpractice

Thursday 13.6.2002 - One of Finland's leading neurologists, retired
Professor Urpo Rinne of the University of Turku, faces new charges of
medical malpractice.

On Wednesday medical officials in Turku announced that they were calling
for a police investigation into alleged neglect of patients taking part in
Rinne's research into Parkinson's Disease.

According to the allegations, patients involved in Professor Rinne's
studies had to endure long waits before getting proper treatment.

The side-effects of some of the medications were reportedly not
sufficiently considered, and Rinne also is believed to have ignored the
implications of serious medical conditions of some of his patients.

Professor Rinne has already been given a 4 year prison sentence for
aggravated fraud involving the misuse of his research funding.

Medical officials in the Turku region and the University of Turku now want
police to investigate the cases of 44 patients involved in Rinne's research
to find out if possible mistakes made in Rinne's pharmaceutical research
might have harmed the patients.

The patients in question have already been informed that their
participation in Rinne's studies might have harmed their health, and they
have been advised to contact Finland's patient insurance centre for
possible monetary compensation.

According to Ari-Matti Nuutila, Professor of Criminal Law at the University
of Turku, the malpractice cases might even lead to charges of manslaughter,
or causing grievous bodily harm.

Investigations into Rinne's research practices began in February this year
when the investigation into his financial dealings raised suspicions of
inadequate care for his patients.

For instance, Rinne was suspected of keeping patients who needed attention
waiting for an appropriate study to come along.

To investigate Rinne's activities, an outsider, the former head physician
of the Neurological Clinic of the Helsinki University Central Hospital -
Professor Heikki Teräväinen - was called in to review Rinne's research.
Professor Teräväinen is also an expert in Parkinson' s Disease.

In his investigation Teräväinen went through 918 studies conducted on 690
patients.

As a researcher favoured by pharmaceutical companies, Rinne had easy access
to their research grants.

Professor Rinne conducted about 30 studies involving medications between
1979 and 2000.

The statute of limitations has run out on the oldest of the cases, and some
of the patients have died.

According to Teräväinen there is reason to believe that Rinne may have
delayed treatment for some patients in order to get them into a study that
was beginning later.

Other possible reasons for the delay in beginning treatment could have been
Rinne's own scheduling or the pharmaceutical manufacturers' difficulties in
delivering the drugs.

Some patients appeared to be kept in the dark about important information
concerning the studies, including the possibility to cancel participation.

It is also alleged that Rinne did not sufficiently consider the patients'
other diseases, such as high blood pressure.

In some cases it was found that the dispensing of the experimental
medicines should have been discontinued when patients went into psychosis.

Professor Teräväinen also says that it is difficult to assess the
appropriateness of the treatment of some of the patients because Rinne's
records are so inadequate - often with no indication of the patient's
condition or medication.

Professor Teräväinen is also critical of the administration of the Turku
University Central Hospital (TYKS) for allowing the poor keeping of records
to continue for about 20 years, and that other care units must have been
aware of it.

There is hard evidence of medical malpractice in only 44 of the cases, but
the real number could be much higher.

The inadequacies in the keeping of records makes investigation difficult.

The patients involved in Rinne's studies were also charged out-patient
clinic fees, although such fees are normally waived for those involved in
medical research.

TYKS began refunding the money when the issue came up during Rinne's trial
this past winter. A total of 530 research patients were charged the fees.

The hospital has contacted 277 patients about the problem and refunds have
been given to 239 patients, totalling about EUR 75,000.

Professor Urpo Rinne, 66, was an internationally renowned expert on
Parkinson's Disease - or at least that is the image that he promoted of
himself. He retired from his position as Professor of Neurology at the
University of Turku in September 2000.

In June 2000 he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct linked with his
neurological research.

The police investigation into Rinne's activities came soon after his friend
and colleague, Paavo Riekkinen - Professor of Neurology at the University
of Kuopio - had been caught for embezzling about EUR 300,000 in research
money.

The police investigating Rinne's activities concluded that his embezzlement
of research funding was much more extensive than anything Riekkinen was
found to have done.

In December Rinne was sentenced to four years in prison on 16 counts of
aggravated fraud, as well as malfeasance with aggravating circumstances,
the serious misuse of his official position, and aggravated tax fraud.

Rinne's two sons, who are also doctors, face charges of tax fraud related
to their failure to declare about EUR 1.6 million of the research funding
that their father is believed to have given them. However, because of legal
technicalities, the trial will involve only a small fraction of the money -
EUR 73,600.

HELSINGIN SANOMAT international
http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20020613IE2

check out the pd-in-the-news link on my website!
that's how i found this article!

janet paterson: an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit primarily perky, parky
pd: 55/41/37 cd: 55/44/43 tel: 613 256 8340 email: [log in to unmask]
smail: 375 Country Street, Almonte, Ontario, Canada, K0A 1A0
a new voice website: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/

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