Pharma Bro' Must Return $65 Million, Exit Drug Industry

 

Source:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/martin-shkreli-65-million-fine-banned-pharmaceutical-industry/

Pre-reading questions: 

1. What is the biggest pharmaceutical company in your country? 

2. Is your country's health care system good? Why or why not? 

Vocabulary어휘

1. pharmaceutical 형용사 제약의 ˌfɑːrməˈsuːtɪkəl

->relating to the production and sale of medical drugs

The Food and Drug Administration ordered the pharmaceutical company to recall the drug.

미국식품의약국은 제약회사에 약품회수를 지시했습니다.

2. generic 형용사 상표 등록이 되어 있지 않은, 회사 이름이 붙지 않은 ʤəˈnɛrɪk

->not having a brand name

The pharmacy didn't have Tylenol, but they had some generic alternatives.

그 약국에는 타이레놀이 없었지만, 상표 등록이 되어 있지 않은 대체품이 있었다.

3. fraud 명사 사기 frɔːd

->a crime that involves cheating to benefit financially or politically

The judge ruled that the accountant's actions did not constitute fraud.

판사는 그 회계사의 행위는 사기가 되지 않는다고 판결했다.

4. exclusive 형용사 독점적인, 전용의 ɪkˈskluːsɪv

->restricted to one person, group, etc.

The newspaper received exclusive rights to cover the story.

이 신문은 그 소식에 대한 독점 취재권을 받았습니다.

5. right 명사 판권 raɪt

->the legal authority to sell, publish, perform, etc. a creative work or product

The rights to the book were sold in 2012.

그 책에 대한 판권은 2012년에 판매되었다.

6. parent company 명사 모회사 ˈperənt ˈkʌmpəni

->an organization that owns or controls a company or a number of companies

Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., owns several businesses.

구글의 모회사 Alphabet Inc.는 몇몇 사업체들을 소유한다.

Article뉴스기사

'Pharma Bro' Must Return $65 Million, Exit Drug Industry

Martin Shkreli, known in the media as "Pharma Bro," must return $64.6 million he and his former company gained from increasing the price and controlling the market of a lifesaving drug, a US federal judge has decided. Shkreli, who is already in prison, was also banned from the pharmaceutical industry for the rest of his life.

US District Judge Denise Cote made her decision following a trial that included recordings of conversations that Cote said showed Shkreli continuing to control his former company, Vyera Pharmaceuticals LLC, from prison, and discussing ways to stop cheaper generic versions of its expensive drug, Daraprim, from being made.

The Federal Trade Commission and seven states brought the case against Shkreli about two years after he was sent to prison for securities fraud in a separate case.

Shkreli was CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals — later Vyera — when it raised the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill after gaining exclusive rights to the decades-old drug in 2015. It treats a rare disease that affects pregnant women, cancer patients and AIDS patients.

Shkreli defended the decision as capitalism at work and said insurance and other programs made sure that people who needed Daraprim would get it.

Shkreli eventually offered hospitals half off — still a 2,500% increase. Patients also normally take most of the weeks-long treatment after returning home, so they and their insurance companies still faced the $750-a-pill price.

Shkreli resigned as Turing's CEO in 2015, a day after he was arrested for fraud related to two investment businesses he ran before getting into the pharmaceutical industry. He was found guilty of lying to investors and cheating them out of millions of dollars and is serving a seven-year sentence at a federal prison. He is due to be released in November 2022.

Vyera and its parent company, Phoenixus AG, already agreed in December 2021 to provide up to $40 million in relief to consumers over 10 years and to make Daraprim available to any generic competitor at the cost of producing the drug.

Discussion토론

1. What are your thoughts on the judge's ruling in the Martin Shkreli case?

2. Do you find it surprising that Shkreli was able to run his company from prison?

3. What do you make of Shkreli's argument that raising the price of Daraprim was "capitalism at work"?

4. Is medicine expensive where you live?

5. Have there been any scandals or controversies surrounding the pharmaceutical industry in your country in recent years?

Further Discussion 심층 토론

1. Do you know anyone who works in healthcare? Could you see yourself doing their job?

2. Do most people in your country have private health insurance?

3. Do you have any complaints about the healthcare system in your country?

4. What changes do you hope to see in medicine and healthcare over your lifetime?

5. A tremendous amount of needless pain and suffering can be eliminated by ensuring that health insurance is universally available. — Daniel Akaka. What are your thoughts on this statement?