经济学人27:和解者 违规销售药物

 　　Business.

　　商业。

　　Mis-selling drugs.

　　违规销售药物。

　　The settlers.

　　和解者。

　　American prosecutors¹ wring² $3 billion from GlaxoSmithKline.

　　美国检察官提请对葛兰素史克公司处以30亿美元罚款。

　　PATRIOTIC³ pundits⁴ might make something of the timing⁵, just before America's Independence Day. As Americans prepared to celebrate the settlers who stuck it to the British in 1776, their government stuck it to a British drug firm. On July 2nd the Justice Department announced details of a $3 billion payment from GlaxoSmithKline, the old country's biggest pharmaceutical-maker. The deal, which resolves a pile of criminal and civil charges, is the largest health-fraud settlement in American history.

　　正当美国人准备为纪念1776年打退英国人的移民者庆祝时，他们的政府却在不依不饶地起诉一家英国制药公司。这件事正好发生在美国独立日到来之前，一些爱国评论人士可能就这点大做文章。7月2日，美国司法部门公布了有关葛兰素史克公司30亿美元巨额赔款的细节，该公司是英国这个老牌国家最大的制药业公司。这次判决解决了一系列刑事和民事指控，成为美国历史上最大的一起医药欺诈和解案。

　　The size of the deal is not new-it was announced in November-but the details are. Glaxo agreed to plead guilty to three criminal counts: the misbranding of two antidepressants and the failure to tell regulators about safety data for a diabetes⁶ drug. Those plea deals included $1 billion in payments. Glaxo also agreed to an additional $2 billion to settle civil charges under the False Claims Act.

　　这次和解的金额并非是什么新闻——在去年11月份就已向公众宣布——但具体如何分配这些金额却是刚刚公布。（早在去年11月份就已向公众公布的和解的金额并非是什么新闻，真正算得上是新闻的其实是如何具体来分配这些金额----Grace_Die的版本）葛兰素史克公司已就三项刑事指控认罪：滥用两种抗抑郁药的商标、未向监管部门提交一种糖尿病药物的安全数据。这些认罪协议包括10亿美元的赔偿金。在《反欺骗政府法》的规定下，葛兰素史克公司还将另外赔偿20亿美元用以解决民事指控。

　　Glaxo allegedly used spa treatments, trips to Hawaii and hunting excursions to coax⁷ doctors to write prescriptions⁸ for unapproved uses of certain drugs. In the case of Paxil, an antidepressant, Glaxo was said to have promoted a journal article that overstated the drug's benefits for children.

　　据称，葛兰素史克公司曾为一些医生的水疗服务、夏威夷旅游、狩猎等买单，借此让医生为某些药物未经批准的用途开具处方。据称该公司还极力推广一篇夸大了抗抑郁药帕罗西汀对儿童的药效的期刊论文。

　　In recent years, American prosecutors have accused nearly every big drug firm of nefarious⁹ sales tactics. Several have settled (see table), including Abbott Laboratories in May ($1.5 billion) and Pfizer in 2009 ($2.3 billion). To pursue these cases, the department has used an old but handy statute¹⁰. The False Claims Act was passed during the civil war, to stop contractors¹¹ from swindling the Union army. Congress gave it new life in 1986, promising¹² big payouts for citizens who blew the whistle on firms that defrauded¹³ the government.

　　近年来，几乎每一家大型制药公司都因非法销售策略遭到了美国检察官的控告。有些案件已经得到解决（见图表），包括5月份的雅培公司案件（赔偿15亿美元）和2009年的辉瑞公司案件（赔偿23亿美元）。在这些案件中，美国司法部搬出了一部古老却十分便利好用的法规——《反欺骗政府法》。此法规是在美国内战时为了阻止承包商欺诈美国联邦军而通过的。1986年，美国国会赋予这部法规新的生命：公民只要揭发检举公司的欺诈政府行为就能获得大笔奖励。

　　At first defence contractors were the main targets. More recently, drug firms have been a gold mine. Firms have been particularly vulnerable to charges of "off-label marketing¹⁴". America bars drug firms from promoting their pills for uses not approved by regulators. But doctors are free to prescribe drugs for such uses, which is why drug reps schmooze them.

　　起初，国防承包商是主要的被揭发目标。最近，制药公司又成了发财的金矿山。这些公司特别容易受到"将药物用在其还未被批准的用途上或其他年龄段的病人身上、违规使用药物剂量、违规以某种形式使用药物"等等这类控告。美国禁止制药公司推广不为药品监管机构所批准的药用功能，但医生可以自由地根据药物功能给病人开处方，这也就是为什么药品销售员要在医生面前阿谀奉承。

　　Are huge fines enough to curb¹⁵ dodgy drug peddling¹⁶? Glaxo insists that it has reformed. The firm says it has fired some of those involved in transgressions¹⁷, though it has not disclosed numbers or names. It has also changed internal incentives¹⁸ for drug salespeople¹⁹, to discourage mis-selling. As part of its "corporate²⁰ integrity agreement" with the Justice Department, it now may revoke²¹ an executive's bonus if he or a subordinate engages in shady deeds.

　　巨额罚款能有效阻止狡猾的制药商吗？葛兰素史克公司坚持称它已经采取了改革措施：公司辞退了涉及此次犯罪事件的职员，但并未公开辞退的员工人数及其姓名；公司还改变了内部的激励措施以阻止违规销售药品。根据该公司与司法部的"企业诚信协议"，如果一个经理或其下属参与不法行为，那么他的奖金将有可能被剥夺。

　　Patrick Burns of Taxpayers²² Against Fraud, an advocacy group, is not impressed. Individual executives pocket the benefits of malpractice, whereas stockholders pay the fines that result. So the way to deter²³ future wrongdoing would be to punish individual executives, he says. The fear of jail might make them think twice before overpromoting a pill.

　　来自纳税人免受欺诈倡导组织的帕特里克?伯恩斯认为此举并无成效。个别高管从不法行为中获取暴利，而赔偿金却要由股东来承担。因此，他说，想要预防此类违法行为再次发生就必须采取惩罚个别高管的方法。对其进行监禁的恫吓力可能会促使他们在夸大药物药效前三思而行。

1 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

2 wring   

n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭

参考例句：

• My socks were so wet that I had to wring them.我的袜子很湿，我不得不拧干它们。
• I'll wring your neck if you don't behave!你要是不规矩，我就拧断你的脖子。

3 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

4 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

5 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

6 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

7 coax   

v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取

参考例句：

• I had to coax the information out of him.我得用好话套出他掌握的情况。
• He tried to coax the secret from me.他试图哄骗我说出秘方。

8 prescriptions   

药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划

参考例句：

• The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
• Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

9 nefarious   

adj.恶毒的，极坏的

参考例句：

• My father believes you all have a nefarious purpose here.我父亲认为你们都有邪恶的目的。
• He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.因为他干了许多罪恶的勾当，所以人人都惧怕他。

10 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

11 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

13 defrauded   

v.诈取，骗取( defraud的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He defrauded his employers of thousands of dollars. 他诈取了他的雇主一大笔钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He defrauded them of their money. 他骗走了他们的钱。 来自辞典例句

14 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

15 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

16 peddling   

忙于琐事的，无关紧要的

参考例句：

• He worked as a door-to-door salesman peddling cloths and brushes. 他的工作是上门推销抹布和刷子。
• "If he doesn't like peddling, why doesn't he practice law? "要是他不高兴卖柴火，干吗不当律师呢？

17 transgressions   

n.违反，违法，罪过( transgression的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many marine transgressions occur across coastal plains. 许多海运是横越滨海平原。 来自辞典例句
• For I know my transgressions, and my sin always before me. 因为我知道我的过犯，我的罪常在我面前。 来自互联网

18 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

19 salespeople   

n.售货员，店员；售货员( salesperson的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The shop usually employs additional salespeople for the Christmas toy trade. 这家商店通常雇一些临时售货员来做圣诞节玩具生意。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Under our new system, salespeople sit down with each of our dealers. 根据新的制度，销售人员应逐个地同承销商洽商。 来自辞典例句

20 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

21 revoke   

v.废除，取消，撤回

参考例句：

• The university may revoke my diploma.大学可能吊销我的毕业证书。
• The government revoked her husband's license to operate migrant labor crews.政府撤销了她丈夫管理外来打工人群的许可证。

22 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

23 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。