Mr Blair Hamrick | Former whistle-blower GSK

Mr Blair Hamrick, , Former whistle-blower GSK

As a pharmaceutical sales rep, Blair was doing well. He was in The President’s Club, he was “the golden child” and he was quickly promoted. But that all changed when he was pushed by his boss to start recruiting physician speakers to promote the off-label use of anti-depressants for children. However, given his concerns about the appropriate use of the drugs, Blair was not comfortable with his bosses’ demands. He spoke with a friend about his concerns and his friend advised him not to do it, saying the company would not back a sales rep if anything went wrong. Blair then turned to his manager and refused to promote the drugs as requested. This created waves. Soon after, Blair’s friend informed the company about what was going on and an internal investigation ensued. Blair told the truth about what he knew, and following that, his friend was terminated and Blair’s career quickly went downhill. Blair’s friend decided to file a qui tam (or FCA) case and asked if Blair wanted to be involved. Blair said “yes.”

 

When Blair had his first meeting with the FBI, he could tell his story piqued their interest. A second meeting was immediately set, where both Blair and his friend were interviewed. They then knew they had a good case. At the time, Blair was still working for the company, and for a period of two years, he was interviewed by the FBI and asked to make copies or forward emails for evidence.

 

This period was incredibly nerve wracking for Blair. He had already been labeled a troublemaker for not agreeing to off-label market to children. Therefore, the company was trying to get him out while, at the same time, he was working daily to prove his case against them. He remembers sitting in meetings and copying everything down, word-for-word. People would ask, “Why are you copying that down?” to which he would reply, “Oh, I just like to take good notes.” He thought maybe he had already been found out.

 

During that time, the stress caused Blair to start self-medicating with alcohol. He ended up getting a DUI and took a medical leave of absence. Shortly thereafter, the company was subpoenaed by the Department of Justice, which noted that the investigation had originated in Colorado. Blair was based in Colorado, so all signs pointed to the “troublemaker” being Blair. Blair was terminated.

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