MANILA, Philippines — A pharmaceutical company has filed cyber libel charges against Anthony Leachon, a health reform advocate and former special adviser for non-communicable diseases at the Department of Health, following his statements alleging a scheme between doctors and the company.
Bell-Kenz Pharmaceuticals Inc. filed the complaint on Tuesday with the National Bureau of Investigation's Cybercrime Division.
The 14-page complaint filed by the firm highlighted that Leachon included snippets from various news articles, accompanied by his own opinions.
Leachon’s allegations allude that a certain pharmaceutical company gives luxury cars and other perks to doctors in exchange for prescribing their products.
According to Leachon’s interview with Radyo630 last month, he said that the firm responsible for this scheme recruits doctors to prescribe their products even if the patient does not need them for their treatment.
These allegations, however, have been dismissed by Bell-Kenz’s Chief Executive Officer Luis Raymond Go in a Senate hearing held last month.
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In a separate statement, Leachon said that this action by the pharmaceutical firm is a “clear attempt” to “redirect the narrative and intimidate critics”.
He also said that his legal team is reviewing the details of the complaint.
“The basis of my comments regarding the issue manifests my concern for the integrity of the medical profession,” Leachon said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“I stand by my decision to bring these matters to public attention. It is crucial that such issues are debated openly for the sake of our medical community and the trust that the Filipino people place in their healthcare providers,” he added.