The pharmaceutical giant Roche this week accused a former senior manager of “jumping to conclusions” and “blowing the issues out of proportion.” The senior manager claims she was sacked for uncovering their dealings with a network of private slimming clinics.

Dr Ryta Kuzel, aged 39, was criticised by her former employer at a Bedford Employment Tribunal hearing on Monday, after alleging she was marched from the premises in March 2005 as part of a cover-up over sales of their weight loss drug orlistat (Xenical).

Dr Kuzel argued at an earlier hearing (BMJ 2006;332: 441) that Roche saw her as a potential “whistle blower,” after she discovered …