Pressures to approve drugs that some feel are unsafe are mounting at Health Canada. A group of senior scientists spoke to CTV News, going on the record with allegations they're feeling pressure to approve certain veterinary drugs despite their concerns.

Four scientists at Health Canada say they're feeling under the gun to approve certain drugs they feel may not be safe. The scientists claim that the pressure originates with pharmaceutical companies and is passed on to them by their superiors.

"We were being pressured to pass drugs of questionable safety because of the pharmaceutical companies," scientist Shiv Chopra says.

Chopra, along with fellow scientists Margaret Haydon, Gerard Lambert, and Cris Basudde, say they are speaking out because the public needs to know what happens at Health Canada. They say they know that their jobs could be at stake, but they believe public safety is more important.

Chopra told CTV's Newsnet that he and his colleagues have been given gag orders, been suspended without pay, been reprimanded and demoted for disputing orders to approve drugs.

"We're being told to approve things even without receiving data from the company," Chopra says. "If we don't receive the date, then there's nothing we can do. But we're often told that the U.S. has approved it so we should approve it and we shouldn't even ask questions."

CTV News has obtained a letter outlining the concerns of the scientists sent to the government's internal watchdog, the public service integrity office.

"We the undersigned employees at Health Canada," the letter reads, "are being pressured by our supervisors to pass or maintain a series of veterinary drugs without the required proof of human safety."

One example is a veterinary drug called tylosin, a drug used on chickens to kill bacteria. The drug is banned in Europe; some studies have shown tylosin can cause untreatable strains of bacteria that cause food poisoning and make the human body resistant to certain antibiotics.
While the drugs are for animals, there are fears the drugs could be making their way into the human food supply.

A senior drug evaluator alerted Health Canada of the possible risks. His concerns were dismissed and he was advised in a letter that his opinions weren't supported by Health Canada. The drug was approved in May.

CTV News obtained a copy of that letter, reprimanding him for his approach in disagreeing with the approval process.

"Please consider this letter as a written reprimand," the letter reads. "Failure to address this behaviour, as would be evidence by another such episode, will result in more severe disciplinary action."

Under Health Canada rules, pharmaceutical companies are required to prove their drugs are safe before they're officially approved. For the companies to make back what they've invested in research and development their drug needs to be approved. These scientists say that's what leads to pharmaceutical pressures.

Health Canada denies the allegations they're caving in to pharmaceutical companies. "Health Canada staff are not being pressured by manufacturers," says Health Canada's Dr. Ian Alexander.

Still, Dr. Chopra feels the system breeds abuse.

"At risk is the public, our children, our community, our Canada," Chopra says.

The scientists have written to every health minister in the last five years and have voiced their concerns internally at Health Canada.

They say it's all been to no avail. Undaunted, they're now calling for a full Senate investigation into why Health Canada is approving drugs that some of its senior scientists feel could one day harm Canadians.