经济学人237:强生公司 走出困境了吗?

　　Business
商业报道
Johnson & Johnson
强生公司
Out of the mire¹?
走出困境了吗?
The Justice Department may spoil the drugmaker's fresh start
司法部可能会毁了这家药厂的新开始
FOR the past few years Johnson & Johnson has stumbled clumsily through the legal and reputational swamps of contaminated pills and faulty fake hips².
过去几年，强生官司不断，毒药丸、假臀缺陷等丑闻频出，公司步履艰难。
Under a new chief executive, it is supposed to be taking a confident stride onto firmer terrain³.
在新掌门的领导下，公司有望重拾信心，大踏步向更高的目标迈进。
On April 26th Alex Gorsky, a senior manager who joined the company as a salesman in 1988, was due to take charge.
4月26日，1988年就进入强生从事销售工作的公司高管亚历克斯?高斯基走马上任。
Yet the ground is still worryingly soft.
但令人担忧的是，公司境遇依然艰难。
111111111111111_副本.jpgAmerica's Justice Department wants Mr Gorsky to testify about alleged⁴ fraud.
美国司法部想要高斯基先生为公司的欺诈指控作证。
J&J says he has nothing to do with the case.
强生方面表示，高斯基先生与该案无关。
The government's request, made on April 11th, is the latest stage of a long dispute.
政府4月11日作出的请求不过是这场长期纠纷的最新进展。
The department's lawyers filed their suit in 2010, alleging⁵ that J&J made improper⁶ payments to boost prescriptions⁷ of its drugs.
司法部律师于2010年提请诉讼，他们宣称，强生为了推销他们的药方进行了非正常的支付。
J&J can at least take solace⁸ in not being alone.
令强生公司得到慰藉是至少它不是‘孤军奋战'，
The Justice Department has sued almost every big drug firm.
几乎所有的大药厂都受到过司法部的指控。
Most suits are brought under the False Claims Act, which since 1986 has encouraged citizens to sue firms that defraud⁹ the government.
大多数诉讼的依据是1986年生效的《虚假申报法案》，该法案鼓励公民对那些欺骗政府的公司进行起诉。
Whistleblowers are fortified¹⁰ not only by righteousness but also by a share of damages.
一些人踊跃揭露黑幕，一是出自正义，二是可以获得一份赔偿。
They and the department have forged a model public-private partnership¹¹.
他们和司法部共同打造了一个公私合伙的典范，
Since 1986 the team has won more than 30 billion.
1986年以来，这支队伍的收入超过了300亿美元。
Billions have been wrung¹² out of drugmakers.
制药厂被迫缴纳数十亿美元，
The firms have been charged with marketing¹³ drugs for unapproved uses, paying illegal kickbacks¹⁴ to raise sales,
他们被处罚的理由是未经批准销售药物，为扩大销售支付回扣，
or both, cheating the public-health programmes that foot the bill.
或者二者兼而有之，有的公司对支付患者医药费用的全民医疗保险项目进行欺瞒。
In the last quarter of 2011 Abbott said it had reserved 1.5 billion to pay penalties for its marketing practices,
2011年最后一季度，雅培表示，他们已为公司的营销行为准备了15亿美元的罚款。
Amgen said it had reserved 780m for a similar purpose,
安进表示为同样的目的他们也保留了7.8亿美元，
and GlaxoSmithKline announced a staggering 3 billion agreement with the department.
葛兰素史克宣布他们们与司法部之间达成了一个金额高达30亿美元的协议。
The department says that J&J's questionable¹⁵ antics took place between 1999 and 2004.
司法部表示，强生的不轨行为发生在1999年至2004年间，
It alleges¹⁶ that the company used rebates¹⁷, grants and other kickbacks to encourage Omnicare, a pharmacy¹⁸ for nursing homes, to recommend its drugs to patients.
他们称，强生使用返利、补贴等回扣方式鼓励一家专供养老院的药店“Omnicare”向患者推荐他们的药品。
Prosecutors¹⁹ say that J&J continued to push sales of a drug even after warnings that it had not been properly studied in old people.
检查官说，在被告知尚不明确这些药物是否适用老年人的情况下，强生依然我行我素，继续推销他们的药品。
On April 11th the government's lawyers asked a judge to compel Mr Gorsky, who oversaw²⁰ the implicated²¹ business at the time, to testify.
4月11日，政府律师要求法官迫使当时负责相关业务的高斯基先生出庭作证。
If the judge agrees, J&J may find a settlement attractive.
如果法官同意，强生可能会更希望庭外和解。
Such a deal would not be the last.
这样的交易不会是最后一笔，
Settlements show no sign of abating²², for two main reasons.
问题的解决并不表明这种情况有所减少，这有两个主要原因，
First, whatever the merits of the case against J&J, it is not clear that companies are changing their ways.
第一，不管这起针对强生的案件价值几何，我们都弄不清楚这些公司是否已改邪归正。
The benefits of aggressive marketing often outweigh²³ the cost of settlements.
积极的营销带来的利益常常超过解决争端的成本，
Aaron Kesselheim of Harvard University tracked sales of Neurontin, a drug approved for epilepsy but prescribed for much more.
哈佛大学的阿伦?凯泽尔海姆对批准为治疗癫痫、实际上用途更广的处方药“镇顽癫”进行了跟踪后发现，
By 2004, when Pfizer paid 430m in penalties, annual sales had reached 2.7 billion.
到2004年，辉瑞支付的罚款为4.3亿美元，而这种药每年销售已达27亿美元。
Second, there is ample appetite to sue.
第二，上诉者往往会狮子大开口且乐此不彼，
Barack Obama's health-care law included new measures to fight fraud.
奥巴马的保健法为打击欺诈增添了新的内容。
For every 1 spent in such cases, the Justice Department boasts it gets 7 in return.
在类似案例中，每支出一美元，司法部就会得到7美元的回报。
Whistleblowers keep coming forward:
报料揭丑者前赴后继：
last year they tooted in record numbers.
去年，他们战果空前。
And states are getting fiercer:
各州也愈加猛烈，
a judge in Arkansas recently ordered J&J to pay 1.1 billion for violating the state's version of the False Claims Act.
最近，因违反州颁发的《虚假申报法案》，阿肯色州的一位法官要求强生支付11亿美元。
Drug executives may find one penalty especially scary.
不过有一项处罚条款会让制药公司的老总们吓出一身冷汗。
In March Eric Holder²⁴, the attorney-general, said the Justice Department would go after people as well as companies.
三月份艾立克·胡尔德总检查长表示，司法部将在处理此类案件时，不仅对公司，也会对当事人追查到底。
For example, they might be banned from business with any government health-care programme.
例如，他们可能被禁与政府“公共健康计划”有关的所有业务。
In a country where spending on health is nearly 18% of the economy, that could finish some amply remunerated careers.
在一个健康支出占经济收入18%的国家，这可能会终结一些具有可观报酬的职业。

1 mire   

n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境

参考例句：

• I don't want my son's good name dragged through the mire.我不想使我儿子的名誉扫地。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

2 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

6 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

7 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。

8 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

9 defraud   

vt.欺骗，欺诈

参考例句：

• He passed himself off as the managing director to defraud the bank.他假冒总经理的名义诈骗银行。
• He is implicated in the scheme to defraud the government.他卷入了这起欺骗政府的阴谋。

10 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

11 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

12 wrung   

绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水）

参考例句：

• He has wrung the words from their true meaning. 他曲解这些字的真正意义。
• He wrung my hand warmly. 他热情地紧握我的手。

13 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。

14 kickbacks   

n.激烈反应( kickback的名词复数 )；佣金，回扣

参考例句：

• Everyone at City Hall is receiving kickbacks. It's the only way to get anything done there. 市政府里的每个人都收回扣，在那里只有送红包，事情才办得成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• G raft or kickbacks paid to officials or law enforcem ent authorities. 暗中付给官员或执法人员的回扣。 来自互联网

15 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

16 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

17 rebates   

n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣

参考例句：

• The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点，如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
• In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句

18 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

19 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。

20 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

21 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 abating   

减少( abate的现在分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼）

参考例句：

• The storm showed no signs of abating. 暴风雨没有减弱的迹象。
• The recent public anxiety about this issue may now be abating. 近来公众对这个问题的焦虑心情现在也许正在缓和下来。

23 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

24 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。