America’s Most Admired Lawbreaker
A shocking story about the biggest company in the US's most profitable industry
Hasnain says:
I've only read one chapter so far, and I'm absolutely horrified.
“All the big pharmas” have lawsuits, the analyst concluded, sipping an espresso. “It’s just not a big deal.”
"Indeed, with before-tax profits of $20.6 billion for 2014, putting aside $500 million or even $1 billion a year over 15 years to cover payouts for boys with 46DD breasts and other claims that might come along doesn’t put much of a dent in the company’s financials. As Johnson & Johnson declared in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission three weeks before the analysts’ conference, “In the Company’s opinion … the ultimate outcome of legal proceedings, net of liabilities accrued in the Company’s balance sheet, is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position.”"
"However, the fact that this illegal conduct is not a “big deal” on Wall Street and only the occasional subject of news coverage should make it a big deal to the rest of the world: The drug companies seem to be able to break the rules with relative impunity, or at least without suffering the kind of punishment that would actually hurt—their stock prices taking a hit or senior executives being held personally responsible."
Posted on 2015-10-10T20:07:06+0000