Several Italian researchers and clinicians have sent open letters to the media in recent weeks to protest about the removal of Nello Martini as the head of the Italian drug regulatory agency, Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco. The group say that Dr Martini was doing an exemplary job. He had kept the agency free from drug industry pressure and had managed to contain the Italian drugs bill to 13% of the country’s health expenditure. But in doing so he incurred the industry’s wrath.

The situation began with an incident earlier this year in which a member of the agency was arrested for alleged falsification of data (BMJ 2008;336:1208-9, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39591.450856.DB). That investigation is still ongoing. Dr Martini was himself accused of “causing unintentional disaster” by failing to update the safety warnings on many drugs.

BMJ 2008;337:a1276