A notorious blood feud between a doctor, U of T, the Hospital for Sick Children and a pharmaceutical giant has finally been resolved, bringing Dr. Nancy Olivieri’s five-year legal battle to a conclusion.
A joint statement issued on November 12 announced the settlement, which was arrived at through a mediator. “Dr. Nancy Olivieri, the Hospital for Sick Children, and the University of Toronto are pleased to announce a resolution of all outstanding disputes,” the statement said. “The settlement that has been reached is comprehensive and will resolve all outstanding litigation and arbitrations pending between the parties.”
Dr. David Naylor, dean of the faculty of medicine, said he was “pleased above all for the colleagues involved.”
Olivieri was at the centre of an academic freedom scandal in 1998 during her research into deferiprone, a drug then under development by Canadian pharmaceutical company Apotex. Her research into deferiprone was trying to determine the drug’s effectiveness in treating thalassemia, a rare blood disorder.
At the time, Apotex was in talks with U of T over a $30-million donation to fund U of T and the University Health Network—a group of teaching hospitals affiliated with the university.
Olivieri’s research showed the drug could harm patients. When she published her findings in a medical journal, U of T rebuked her conduct and, in Olivieri and her supporters’ views, attempted to silence her criticism, citing a confidentiality agreement the doctor signed with Apotex for one of her two research projects.
Sick Kids removed Olivieri as a director of one of its programs, and ordered her not to discuss the issue publicly. Four of her colleagues—Brenda Gallie, Peter Durie, Helen Chan and John Dick—were also rewarded in the settlement. They alleged their careers suffered at the hospital because of their support for Olivieri.
All the parties have agreed to keep the details of the settlement confidential. Olivieri will be taking a leave of absence from Sick Kids to concentrate on her research. Two reports cleared Olivieri’s conduct. The University and the University of Toronto Faculty Association will appoint a joint working group to make recommendations on academic freedom issues and university policy. The group will make its final report next June.
