India-Based Ranbaxy to Pay a Total of $500 Million to Federal and State Authorities for Selling Adulterated Drugs; United States Subsidiary Pleaded Guilty to Federal Criminal Charges
BOSTON – A generic drug manufacturer from India has agreed to pay more than $2.65 million to the state’s Medicaid program to resolve civil and criminal allegations that it knowingly manufactured and sold generic drugs that did not meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today.
As part of a national healthcare fraud settlement, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy), based in Gurgaon, India, will pay a total of $500 million to federal and state authorities, also resolving allegations that it made false representations to the FDA. Its United States subsidiary based in Delaware – Ranbaxy USA, Inc. – has pleadedguilty to federal criminal charges based on the same conduct.
“FDA standards exist to ensure that drugs sold in the United States are safe and effective for consumers,” AG Coakley said. “Our office is committed to working with our partners in federal and state law enforcement nationwide to make sure these corporations adhere to standards within the pharmaceutical industry.”
As part of the settlement – the result of a whistleblower lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland – Ranbaxy will pay close to $350 million in civil damages and penalties to compensate state and federal healthcare programs for financial harms allegedly suffered as a result of the illegal conduct. This includes approximately $266 million to be returned to Medicaid programs nationwide and approximately $83 million to be returned to other federally-funded health care programs.
Ranbaxy will pay more than $2.65 million to Massachusetts’ Medicaid program, which provides funds for health care products and services to eligible low-income individuals, including people with disabilities, children and elder citizens.
Ranbaxy USA will also pay $150 million in criminal fines and forfeitures after pleading guilty to seven felony counts of violating the U.S. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and making false statements to the federal government.
The civil settlement and criminal plea involve 26 of Ranbaxy’s generic pharmaceutical drugs and resolve allegations that, between 2003 and 2010, Ranbaxy:
· Manufactured and sold drugs that were not of the strength, purity, and/or quality required by the FDA;
· Did not comply with FDA-mandated manufacturing practices in plants located in Paonta Sahib, India and Dewas, India; and
· Made false statements to the FDA concerning its manufacturing practices and the strength, purity, and/or quality of it drugs.
In 2012, Ranbaxy entered into a consent decree with the federal government to address manufacturing practices and data integrity issues at two Indian manufacturing plants. These provisions include a wide range of actions to correct Ranbaxy’s violations and to ensure that the violations do not occur again.
The settlement is the result of investigations initiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Civil Frauds Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and conducted with the assistance of several state attorneys general.
波士頓華埠獅子會昨(十二)日發揮老吾老，以及人之老的中國傳統美德，組訪問團到中華頤養院拜會，唱歌、示範功夫、發禮物，和院民一起歡渡母親節。
余綺娥、林淑明等人在中華頤養院員工陳美如等人，把數十名院民送到一樓大廳後，演唱「媽媽好」，「真的愛你」、「念親恩」等歌曲；林德、陳美燕夫婦對唱「帝女花」等粵劇。個頭還小的林柏滈，穿著橘紅色的醒目功夫衫，很有架勢的示範少林功夫，棍、劍、羅漢拳，耍得有模有樣。中華頤養院的院民們看得頻拍手掌，樂不可支。
那些因身體因素，平日難以四處走動的院民，顯然很享受華埠獅子會帶來的熱鬧人氣。其中一名婆婆最合作，不但不時拍掌，還呵呵呵笑，把她身邊的人感染得和她一樣快樂。
長木交響樂團(Longwood
Symphony Orchestra)，11日晚在新英格蘭音樂學院喬丹廳舉辦慶祝30週年音樂會，數百名觀眾數度起立鼓掌，熱情洋溢的讚賞青年鋼琴家黎卓宇琴藝精湛。
長木交響樂團是由一群醫師組成，以演奏音樂治療社區為宗旨，1982年在波士頓創辦的樂團。該團從去年迄今，舉辦了一系列演奏會，慶祝30週年。
11日這晚，該團在新英格蘭音樂學院喬丹廳舉辦，演奏Lukas
Foss、Igor Stravinsky，以及Maurice Ravel等人曲目，慶祝30週年系列演奏會的最後一場，也因此特地獻給波士頓馬拉松賽爆炸案的受害者，以及急救人員。
哈佛大學杜爹利屋10日晚歌聲琴韻飄揚。逾百人濟濟一堂，藉北橋詩社精心安排的音樂節目，歡慶又一年的母親節。
根據唐代詩人孟郊「遊子吟」一詩改編的歌，六句共30字的「慈母手中線，遊子身上衣，臨行密密縫，意恐遲遲歸，誰言寸草心，報得三春暉」，儘管時代變遷得早已讓許多人不知針線為何物，卻一樣讓那些母親不在身邊的學子、遊子們，聽得心中感慨萬千。
參與演出的哈佛大學駐校音樂家朱麗亞·格林，波士頓大學小提琴教授貝拉·吉耶斯，新英格蘭音樂學院李彥洋，波士頓京劇社朱惠元，李嘉音，柯慶恩，黃河合唱樂團廖東穗，牛頓中文學校黃語紅等人，全都為社區服務，義務演出。
會末，岳林特別介紹，獲選為2012Booth學者及藝術家發展學者，曾應邀和馬友友合作，為哈佛絲綢之路合奏團辦公室開幕演奏，在上海歌劇院的北京演奏廳獨奏的哈佛大學駐校音樂家朱麗亞·格林今年畢業，即將應邀赴中國演出，並在中國擔任駐校音樂家，怕以後邀請會很困難，特地請她多留一會兒。還請她與母親合奏一曲，做為當晚的壓軸演出。
華埠社區聯盟(TCC) 9 日舉行月例會，邀得轄區包括華埠的麻州參議員安東尼比楚賽利(Anthony
Petruccelli)、廣教學校校長曾秀芬報告近況。
他說，麻州議會也在協助麻州交通廳(MassDot)彌平「大挖(Big Dig)」工程進行時借款付工資的錯漏，並設法增加區域交通局(RTA)的巴士服務。
劍橋合唱團日前舉行春季音樂會。安可演唱時，特地揉合「祈禱」、「明天會更好」這兩首歌，藉以撫慰大波士頓人飽受馬拉松賽爆炸驚嚇的心情，祈願愛與和平。
李素影二年前首度參選波士頓市第二區市議員，只差97票，未能竟功。二年後她捲土重來，選舉運作掌握得明顯比去年好。8日晚不但有華埠居民會、華人前進會等她的班底出席支持，包括波士頓租房行動協會(Inquilinos
Boricuas en Action)等許多地方社區團體及南端居民，也紛紛到會，為她助陣。
據說，要不是李素影的參選啟動式撞上麻州州長為角逐聯邦參議員席位的聯邦眾議員馬基(Ed Markey)站台時間，會有更多名波士頓市長候選人出席。
李素影自己也認為，憑她在教育界工作35年的經驗，把寶鼎(Baldwin)小學翻轉(turnaround)成表現優良的學校，把昆士小學提升為麻州最好的小學之一等成績，以及她本人是第一代移民，對移民法及政策影響移民生活之巨，有深刻體會，她深信自己有能力照顧到民眾希望子女有好學校可上，自己有份好工可做，薪資不會太低，居住環境安全，促使政府聆聽民眾聲音等等需要。
至於要如何針對共同利益來為人民服務，是個可辯論的議題，但諸如容許無證移民享有州內學費費率，提供教育機會，改善交通服務，加強基礎設施等，都和人民生活真正有關，他因此提出向收入較多者，徵收稍高的稅等提議，設法找財源，來支付實行這些措施的開銷。是否能妥善解決，也有賴議會、民眾，重建真正的社區意識，從共利處想方法。
在回答本報提問的交通法案(transportation bill)時，派區克坦言他比較喜歡參議會版本的預算。他表示，如果參議院版預算中的8億元是真的話，就能比較順利整頓麻州已老舊的交通基礎設施，更換地下鐵的紅線、橘線老舊車輛，拓展綠線進麥德福(Medford)市，在麻州西部拓展鐵路服務等。他開玩笑的強調，如果那些錢是真的話，麻州的交通建設應可大有改善，但參眾議會仍需協商，目前他對是否支持議會的交通法案，持保留態度。