Dr. Tarek Motan sanctioned by CPSA for unprofessional conduct

Edmonton, AB – Dr. Tarek Motan, an obstetrician, gynecologist and family physician from Edmonton, admitted to unprofessional conduct and was sanctioned by a CPSA Hearing Tribunal.

Dr. Motan admitted to the Tribunal that between August 2015 and November 2017, he failed to comply with CPSA’s Conflict of Interest standard of practice by accepting payment of rebates from pharmaceutical manufacturers based on prescribing certain fertility drugs to his patients. Dr. Motan also referred his patients to a specific pharmacy to facilitate payment of the rebates, offered a portion of the rebates to the pharmacy and did not disclose to his patients that he was receiving rebates for the drugs he was prescribing. The investigation into Dr. Motan’s conduct prior to the hearing did not find that the care provided to Dr. Motan’s patients was inappropriate.

The Tribunal accepted both the admissions by Dr. Motan and the recommendations on sanctions jointly submitted by both parties. Their orders include the following:

• Dr. Motan is suspended from practice for six months, of which he must serve three-and-a-half months. The remainder is considered served to account for the time his clinical privileges were suspended and to acknowledge his cooperation with the hearing process. The suspension began on Oct. 18, 2024.
• If Dr. Motan does not use the after-tax income he received from the rebates to settle a class-action lawsuit filed against him by his patients, he must donate the funds to the University of Alberta’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology Education Fund.
• Dr. Motan must complete a course on ethics and boundaries (this has already been completed), pay a $5,000 fine and is responsible for 50% of the costs of the investigation and hearing.

Resources:
CPSA Hearing Tribunal decision