Ohio Newspaper Suggests Fines/Incarceration for Pharma Execs
Interesting read on the lack of teeth in monetary fines for Pharma from the Youngstown (Ohio) "Vindy.com" Opinion page: Fines Hurt But There May Be Stronger Medicine. Thanks to AK for sending it to us.
"There’s no question that $3 billion is a lot of money for a drug company to pay in fines and penalties for peddling some drugs for unapproved uses and overcharging for others. But is it enough to convince pharmaceutical companies to mend their ways? We don’t know, but we do know that in the history of federal prosecution of drug companies for misdeeds, very few have involved individuals being held to account for their misdeeds. ...Prosecute a few top executives — or even some doctors who could be shown to have enthusiastically responded to company incentives to prescribe off-use drugs — and the effect would be much greater than even a few billion dollars in corporate fines."
There are no fines big enough for some of these industries - their risk departments spend big $$ to do indepth risk analyses to determine how high the fines could go; they have insurance and re-insurance to cover catastrophic events...
Jail time for the highest of the executives is about the only deterrent - agreed.
But it will never happen.
Posted by: Cathy R | July 13, 2012 at 11:27 PM
And Crime dosen`t pay...but not a mention of compensation to victims ,just this soft tap over the knuckles...
The Pharma Killers should hang their heads in shame ..
Sick the lot of them..
Angus
Posted by: AngusFiles | July 12, 2012 at 05:13 PM
"There’s no question that $3 billion is a lot of money for a drug company to pay in fines and penalties for peddling some drugs for unapproved uses and overcharging for others."
I strongly disagree with that assessment.
$3 billion is PEANUTS compared to the 27 BILLION the drug company is reported to have profited over the ten years this company "got away with it" .. and .. the fine will do absolutely NOTHING to change the "corporate culture" of callous indifference to the public health that remains in place at the highest levels.
In addition .. where are the federal oversight bureaucracies?
Why haven't THEY unleashed independent investigators to identify who at the highest levels of the corporation "knew about it" .. and .. then hold those individuals ACCOUNTABLE for concealing what they knew?
After all .. we are talking about individuals who KNEW they were selling and prescribing drugs that were potentially life-threatening to their unsuspecting CUSTOMERS.
Is this not the basis for a CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION?
Indeed ..does this company have a BOARD OF DIRECTORS?
If so .. why aren't THEY being held accountable by OUTRAGED stockholders .. and .. more importantly .. by MAJOR MEDIA .. for failing their FIDUCIARY responsibilities to protect the valued reputation of a publicly held company?
It must be me .. but .. I consider the corrupt corporate culture of this company no different than the corrupt culture that allowed Penn State University to protect Jerry Sandusky after THEY KNEW he had been accused of abusing children in Penn State facilities.
The difference?
An "independent" investigator .. Louis Freeh .. has finally exposed .. and .. hopefully ended forever .. the "corrupt culture" that existed at Penn State University. The same cannot be said for this drug company.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | July 12, 2012 at 03:25 PM
Corporations are given the same rights as people by the law. They are actually considered people. When a living breathing person kills someone else (s)he goes to jail. Yet, people children even, were killed as a result of this malfeasance and nobody goes to jail, they just pay a fine. Where is the death penalty for corporations that kill people? No, corporations don't have equal right to you and me - they have more.
Posted by: AnaB | July 12, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Raw milk farmers who have never harmed anyone are thrown in jail, while pharma execs who have harmed many and have robbed this country of billions are left alone. There's no surer sign of who runs this country. (And it ain't us.)
There was a lot of talk about the honor of doing "public service" from the IACC members. If public service is so honorable, then lets see some legislation eliminating the revolving door between government and pharma. Perhaps we'll get some public servants who are interested in serving the public and not serving themselves at the pharma trough.
Posted by: You Can't Make This Stuff Up | July 12, 2012 at 09:13 AM