Nobel prize row over pharmaceuticals firm link

Nobel prize row over pharmaceuticals firm link
The reputation of the Nobel prize has been dented after it emerged that a member of the jury and a Nobel representative had links to a pharmaceuticals giant that benefited from this year’s prize for medicine.

Last Updated: 3:52PM GMT 19 Dec 2008

Harald zur Hausen (left), receives his medal and diploma from the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf Photo: EPA
The joint winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Harald zur Hausen, was recognised for his work on the human papilloma virus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer.

London-based pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca stands to make money from vaccines against HPV because it owns patents on their ingredients.

Bo Angelin, a member of the Nobel Committee, sits on the AstraZeneca board, and Bertil Friedholm, representative of the Nobel Committee at the Karolinska Institutet, reportedly held consulting contracts with the company in 2006.

AstraZeneca also recently begun sponsoring the Nobel website and pro-motional subsidiary, the Times reports.

Prosecutors are now studying whether AstraZeneca could have exerted undue influence on the award. The company strongly denies any wrongdoing.

The Nobel Foundation also vehemently defended the integrity of the prize, saying that there’s a strict separation between Nobel fundraising and the selection of Nobel laureates.

The discovery of the link to AstraZeneca comes hours after the Swedish prosecutor opened a parallel investigation into bribery allegations after several members of Nobel committees took expenses-paid trips to China to discuss how candidates are selected for prizes, the paper said.

Some members of the Nobel Foundation are said to be worried that the reputation of an organisation that honours the highest achievements in human endeavour is under threat from companies and nations hungry for Nobel glory.

A spokesman for AstraZeneca rejected rejected any suggestion that it exerted improper influence over the Nobel Foundation. He said: “We have no influence over the prizewinners nor would we ever seek to.AstraZeneca as a company is not involved in the process of Nobel prize selection. Bo Angelin’s involvement on the Nobel committee is completely independent of his role on AstraZeneca’s board. Bertil Fredholm is a well-respected expert. He did some work for us in 2006, as we work with many people who are experts in their field. The relationship was . . . no more than that.”