If there is one person in the pharmaceutical industry who needs a free lunch, it is Fred Hassan, chairman and chief executive of Schering-Plough.

But even my invitation causes a problem for the man who last year took the helm of the troubled US pharmaceutical group that some said could not be revived. There is a crisis 30 minutes before our appointment because corporate lawyers forbid the chief executive from dining with me alone. Hassan, however, is more than eager to tell people how he is fixing a broken business, coping with two federal investigations - into improper marketing practices including alleged kickbacks - and working to complete a manufacturing overhaul mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration.