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October 13, 2009 4:23 PM

Amgen Accused of Quid Pro Quo in Award From Cancer Foundation It Gave $5,000 to

By
Jim Edwards
(MoneyWatch)  No good deed goes unpunished: The Jennifer Diamond Foundation, which raises money for various cancer centers and programs, plans to give Amgen an award at its Oct. 25 dinner in Los Angeles -- Neil Diamond and Ed Begley Jr. wil be attending -- for the company's cancer research.

Smelling a rat, Jeanne Sather, who writes The Assertive Cancer Patient blog, accused the JDF of engaging in a quid pro quo to keep Amgen's donations coming. An unfortunate JDF pr person responded to her:
"We are not affiliated with Amgen in any way ..."
Which, of course, turns out not to be true. Amgen funds the JDF, as this list of its donations clearly shows.

OK, so Amgen gives money to cancer charities and cancer charities in return hold fundraising dinners at which Amgen is lauded for its generosity. Even if it is a quid pro quo, I'm having difficulty feeling scandalized by this.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
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