A group of doctors who own a pharmaceutical company has been accused of giving luxury cars, travel incentives, and rebates of up to P2 million to doctors who prescribe their medicines, according to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. The company in question, Bell-Kenz Pharma, has been operating since 2006 and is under scrutiny for allegedly recruiting doctors by promising them high commissions and extravagant incentives in exchange for prescribing their products.
Estrada called for a Senate probe to investigate the practices of Bell-Kenz Pharma, stating that the company’s actions are a violation of ethical principles and a betrayal of the trust patients place in their doctors. The pharmaceutical company’s executives have not responded to the accusations made by Estrada.
The senator suggested the implementation of legislation similar to the Anti-Kickback Statute in the United States to prevent such practices in the future. According to him, some doctors have become involved in a multi-level marketing scheme promoted by Bell-Kenz Pharma.
The company’s executives, who refer to themselves as Jedis due to their love for the Star Wars franchise, have yet to comment on the allegations. The officers, including Luis Raymond Go and Berwyn Flores, allegedly require doctors to prescribe Bell-Kenz drugs in order to receive benefits such as rebates, luxury cars, and travel packages.
Estrada emphasized the unethical nature of a pharmaceutical company owned by doctors hiring other doctors as agents and paying them commissions based on the prescriptions they write. He highlighted the rapid growth of Bell-Kenz Pharma’s sales, from P1 billion in 2016 to P5 billion in 2019, as evidence of the company’s questionable practices.
