FRANCE鈥檚 scandal-ridden cancer charity, the Association for Cancer Research
(ARC), appointed a new chief last week in a bid to save it from closure. The
ARC, one of the country鈥檚 largest charities, is under investigation for
misusing public donations. Its head, Jacques Crozemarie, was forced to resign
two weeks ago.
His temporary successor is Michel Lucas, former head of the government鈥檚
social affairs inspection agency, which uncovered evidence of financial
irregularities 5 years ago.
The charity鈥檚 future has been uncertain since it was heavily criticised by
France鈥檚 national audit board for spending only 27 per cent of its 1993 budget
on research (This Week, 20 January). The audit also raised questions about a
group of companies that produced publicity and printed material for the ARC.
The same group of companies also manages the charity鈥檚 database of donors, and
breaking the contract could cost up to 拢30 million. The association is
now under investigation by a Paris judge.
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Lucas鈥檚 first step was to reappoint Thierry Hercend as the ARC鈥檚 chief
executive. Hercend had been fired by Crozemarie last month. Lucas says that
Hercend will begin a detailed examination of the association鈥檚 contracts with
its suppliers and try to regain control of its database.
鈥淎RC has been saved,鈥� says Leon Schwartzenberg, a cancer specialist and one
of the directors on the board of the charity. Six of the directors, including
Schwartzenberg, have been drawing up the charity鈥檚 response to the audit
board鈥檚 criticisms. They agree that the board needs to be reconstituted and
its management overhauled. Some of Crozemarie鈥檚 supporters have already
resigned.
They are also recommending a series of changes at the ARC. These include
spending more on research, and creating a finance committee to oversee
contracts with suppliers. Hercend plans to ensure that high-profile members of
the board cannot influence decisions on grants made by the ARC鈥檚 scientific
committees. 鈥淭he system was abused and the question now is how to avoid this
in the future,鈥� says Alain Bernard, an ARC director and cancer researcher at
the Archet Hospital in Nice.
Emerging from the ARC board meeting, Pierre Tambourin, director of life
sciences at the national research agency, CNRS, said he was 鈥渞elieved鈥� by the
outcome. According to him, laboratories at the CNRS and the National Health
and Medical Research Institute (INSERM) will not be left short of money
because of the crisis. 鈥淭here will not be any decrease in revenues,鈥� he says,
because the available money can be put to better use. 鈥淎nd ARC鈥檚 huge treasury
can compensate until donor confidence is won back.鈥�