“We hope again that there will be an exemplary court decision”, testifies Irène Frachon

“We hope again that there will be an exemplary court decision”, testifies Thursday, June 1 on France Inter the pulmonologist Irène Frachon, who revealed the scandal of the Mediator. As part of the appeal trial of this drug, the Advocates General asked the Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday for a “forfeiture of profit” released by Servier thanks to the drug, i.e. 182 million euros, in addition to a fine of 13.5 million euros.

In the first instance, a fine “drop of water”

“The Advocate General has clearly posed the difficulty in this trial”explains Irène Frachon, “the aggravated offense of deception results in sentences that are not proportionate to what he called a ‘crime of poisoning'”. In the first instance, the Servier laboratory was sentenced to a fine of 2.7 million euros, a “water drop” for the whistleblower.

The prosecution therefore requested “restitution of undue profit” For “that this crime is not financially favorable to the defendant”, continues Irène Frachon. These 182 million euros are an estimate of the net profit generated by Servier on the worldwide sales of the Mediator during the prevention period (1994-2009), and of the research and development expenses linked to this product, the prosecution estimating that it was about “save the medicine” rather than actually doing research.

“Restore meaning to the word justice”

“This indictment seeks to restore meaning to the word ‘justice'”reacts Irène Frachon, “in the face of a crime having had such gigantic consequences”. The Advocate General also underlined according to Irène Frachon “the unbearable denial of this crime by the company, which aggravates the pain, the prejudice of the victims and which makes Servier ‘forever executioners'”.

The Mediator, marketed by the Servier laboratory as an antidiabetic since 1976, but also prescribed as an appetite suppressant until its withdrawal from the market in 2009, has caused serious cardiovascular effects in thousands of patients and is held responsible for hundreds of deaths. .