Washaway schreef op 18 oktober 2019 08:09:
CSL says no patient data was stolen by ex-stafferCarrie LaFrenz - Senior Reporter
Oct 18, 2019 — 1.23pm
Global biotechnology company CSL says based on its investigation to date, no identifiable patient data was obtained by its former employee whom it accuses of stealing trade secrets.
In a statement provided to The Australian Financial Review CSL looked to ease any concerns about stolen patient data.
"Any data involved was de-identified, aggregated information regarding the way that patients use CSL Behring’s and other products. We have no reason to believe these files contain any patient-specific or identifiable information."
CSL CEO Paul Perreault (right) and chairman Dr Brian McNamee at the annual meeting in Sydney. Wolter Peeters, The Australian Financial Review.
As reported by the Financial Review on Wednesday, CSL has filed a lawsuit in the US against Dr Joseph Chiao on October 1 accusing him of deliberately downloading highly sensitive, proprietary commercial information and trade secrets that the company believes he intended to pass to his new employer, Dutch group Pharming Healthcare Inc.
"We are confident that our swift actions, including retrieval of the data and the
initiation of court proceedings has protected our data and intellectual property from
use or disclosure by Chiao or Pharming," a CSL spokesperson said.
"We take the protection of our propriety business information extremely seriously and will vigorously pursue our pending legal action. As a company that upholds our core values, including integrity, we are deeply disappointed by Chiao’s actions."
The company's subsidiary CSL Behring accused Dr Chiao of emailing to his personal account and downloading to a thumb drive thousands of CSL Behring files of highly sensitive information about therapy outcomes, product development and business strategies.
CSL has a portfolio of life-saving medicines, including those that treat haemophilia and immune deficiencies, as well as vaccines to prevent influenza.
In the court documents it noted Dr Chiao played a central role in the development and medical affairs strategy associated with HAE therapies. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic condition that causes swelling under the skin and lining of the gut and lungs.
CSL said Dr Chiao downloaded a file of key opinion leaders about 800 doctors, with whom CSL Behring has contracted over the past four years, which included data about rates they were paid. Dr Chiao allegedly offered in a text message to a Pharming employee to also help set up meetings with some of these doctors.
Dr Chiao - who has not denied he downloaded the information - allegedly failed to return a "number of hard copy documents that he used during the course of his employment" such as sales presentations and marketing plans.
Pharming Group NV "categorically denies" any involvement in the scandal. However, questions have been raised over how far up the Pharming chain knew what was going on.
Court documents show Dr Chiao and Pharming Vice President of Clinical Research and Medical Affairs, Anurag Relan, remained in talks about joining the company between April and September 2019.
The men met in Budapest on the sidelines of a conference and then exchanged a series of text messages in which Dr Chiao told Mr Relan: "I’m hopeful that you will be able to convince your boss regarding how we would align together to effect a large difference to the bottom line of Pharming."
Mr Relan responded: "Joe - I had a chat with our COO, and he is supportive."
Dr Chiao appears willing to share publication ideas and research with Mr Relan as well as a secret manuscript prepared by an association, to which CSL is a member, about key drug developments.
"I’m not even sharing the manuscript internally at CSL," Dr Chiao said via a text message, according to the court documents.
CSL is seeking both punitive and compensatory damages, legal costs, the return of all CSL documents and property as well as the baring of Dr Chiao from using any of the information and his sacking from Pharming.
The stock has not been impacted by news of the data breach, with CSL hitting a fresh all time high this week of $253 each after confirming its full year guidance at the AGM. On Friday CSL fell $1.62 to $250.97.
Shares in the Pharming Group NV recovered some of its earlier losses closing up 3.47 per cent to €1.15 ($1.87) overnight on Thursday on the Euronext Amsterdam.
Bron: Australian Financial Review -
www.afr.com/companies/healthcare-and-...