Torello Lotti defends himself "I'm like Robin Hood"
"I only aimed at the health of the patients, I did not commodify them".
Florence, 29 January 2011 – Torello Lotti, former director of the Dermatology Clinic II of the ASL of Florence, accused of being the head of a criminal association made up of doctors who allegedly let themselves be bribed by pharmaceutical companies, defends himself and defines himself as a "Robin Hood: I hired companies to give to research". Lotti claims that he has never "prescribed drugs in exchange for something, only the right ones at the right times" and goes on to explain that he has "aimed only at the health of patients"
"I have not commodified them - he declares - I have never prescribed experimental, harmful or useless drugs, but only the most suitable, foreseen by the protocols: many patients have testified to the effectiveness of the treatments in the defensive investigations". To 'certify' this, he asked the judges "for a probative incident, a super-expertise: a 'third' commission of dermatologists and coroners who ascertain the correctness of the treatments, case by case".
Speaking to journalists with his defenders, lawyers Federico Bagattini and Alessandro Giuliano, Lotti recalled: ”I have not been challenged for bribes or benefits, nor trips to the Caribbean nor designer bags for my wife. The sums paid by the pharmaceutical companies went to public structures for training or research courses. I didn't put anything in my pocket." For the prosecutor, Lotti guaranteed the increase in the sale of drugs to the industries as part of a program on psoriasis. ”My patients have gone from 600 to 237. Where is the proliferation of prescriptions? I'm not there"
The Nation Florence – 29 January 2011
Prof. Torello Lotti
Corrupt doctors, closed the investigation. New accusations for Torello Lotti
Among the 30 suspects are doctors and their assistants, professionals and representatives of pharmaceutical companies
Florence, 27 January 2011 – The investigation into the alleged criminal association made up of doctors who allegedly let themselves be bribed by pharmaceutical companies has been closed by the Florence prosecutor's office. Torello Lotti, according to the indictment, would have been the head of the association, then director of the Dermatology Clinic II of the ASL of Florence, university professor and president of the Italian Dermatology Society.
In the notice of closure of the investigation notified to the 30 suspects, new accusations appear for Lotti. According to the prosecutor's office, on some occasions he would have defrauded the health company
