The Olivieri Report: The Complete Text of the Report of the Independent Inquiry Commissioned by the Canadian Association of University Teachers

John H. Gryfe is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practising in
Toronto.

In 1993, Canada’s largest generic pharmaceuticals producer, Apotex
Incorporated, funded clinical trials of the experimental drug
deferiprone. The trials took place at the Hospital for Sick Children
(HSC), a fully affiliated teaching hospital of the University of
Toronto. The principal investigators were Dr. Nancy Olivieri and Dr.
Gideon Koren, both professors of medicine at U. of T. In 1996, Olivieri
identified an unexpected medical risk to the patients in the study. When
she moved to inform them of this danger, Apotex abruptly terminated its
participation and threatened to take legal action against her.

After the disagreement between Olivieri and the drug company became
public in 1998, HSC established an investigation (Naimark Review) into
the circumstances of the conflict. Acting on false testimony that
emerged during the review, HSC announced its intention to refer the
review’s allegations to both the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Ontario (Olivieri’s licensing board) and the University of Toronto.
(her employer). At the time, Apotex was negotiating a
multimillion-dollar donation to the same university.

The political fallout and character assassination associated with these
events led to the creation of an independent inquiry commissioned by the
Canadian Association of University Teachers. The Olivieri Report is the
complete text of that inquiry’s report. Detailed and unbiased, it
makes both fascinating and disturbing reading. In the final analysis,
the authors support Olivieri’s actions.