经济学人472:辉瑞制药有限公司 自尝苦果

 　　Business.

　　商业。

　　Pfizer.

　　辉瑞制药有限公司。

　　Taking its medicine.

　　自尝苦果。

　　A drug giant coughs up to settle bribery¹ charges.

　　一个制药巨头被迫出钱就撤销行贿指控与司法部达成和解。

　　IN AMERICA, it was once common for drug firms to offer doctors "perks²" to encourage them to prescribe their pills. Regulators now frown on such iffy sales techniques, and drug firms have more or less stopped using them. But in emerging markets, it is a different story, as a settlement on August 7th between America's Department of Justice and Pfizer, a big American drug firm, made clear.

　　在美国，制药公司给医生"回扣"鼓励他们开处方时使用该公司生产的药物曾是很常见的事。现在相关管理部门开始禁止这样不规范的销售技巧，因此一些制药公司也或多或少不再使用这种技巧。8月7日，美国大型制药公司辉瑞就海外贿赂行为与美国司法部达成了和解。此事正好表明新兴市场的情况与美国的有所不同。

　　In China Pfizer established a "club" that provided "high-prescribing" doctors with all kinds of entertainment under the guise³ of attending conferences. In Kazakhstan Pfizer awarded an exclusive distribution deal to a local firm after it was told there was no other way to secure government approval for a Pfizer product.

　　辉瑞公司在中国成立了一个"俱乐部"，该俱乐部以开会的名义邀请那些"开药量较大"的医生参加各种娱乐活动。辉瑞公司还与哈萨克斯坦一家当地公司签订了独家经销协议，因为此前辉瑞得知，除此之外没有其他的办法可以获得哈萨克斯坦政府对辉瑞制药的批准。

　　Unfortunately for Pfizer, such acts violated the Foreign Corrupt⁴ Practices Act (FCPA), an American law that criminalises bribery abroad. Doctors in many of the countries in question are state employees, making the gifts bribes⁵ to government officials. This week Pfizer agreed to pay a fine to settle corruption⁶ charges and to disgorge related illegally earned profits to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The settlement, which will cost it $60m or so, covers similar offences committed by Wyeth, another drug firm, before it was acquired by Pfizer in 2009.

　　不幸的是，辉瑞的这些行为违反了美国专门用来定罪海外行贿的《反海外腐败法》(FCPA)。受到质疑的多国医生都是国家机关的工作人员，于是这些礼物也就成了贿赂政府官员的赃物。本周，辉瑞公司为了了结腐败指控同意支付罚款，并愿意向美国证券交易委员会上缴相关非法所得利润。辉瑞公司进行此次和解将需要花费六千万美元左右，这笔费用还包括了对惠氏公司贿赂行为的罚款。惠氏制药公司于2009年被辉瑞公司收购，此前它也曾涉嫌海外贿赂。

　　Johnson & Johnson, another big drugmaker, paid $70m last year to settle civil and criminal bribery charges. On August 6th Teva, an Israeli firm that is the world's largest generic⁷ drugmaker, said it was co-operating with SEC investigators⁸. Indeed, eight of the world's ten biggest drug firms have warned of potential costs related to charges of corruption in markets abroad, according to Reuters. So Pfizer's behaviour seems to have been normal for the industry, not an aberration⁹.

　　去年，另一家大型制药公司强生因民事和刑事行贿受到指控，并为达成和解花费了七千万美元。今年8月6日，世界上最大的学名药（通用名药）生产公司以色列梯瓦制药工业有限公司称，它正在协助美国证券交易委员会调查员的调查工作。据路透社报道，事实上，世界上十大制药公司中有八家公司都在警惕因受控海外贪污可能造成的潜在开支。所以这样看来，辉瑞公司的行为在这个行业里并非异常。

　　Citing the settlement, regulators will crow that the FCPA is being enforced more vigorously than at any time since it became law in 1977. They will also hope that it is evidence that their new carrot-and-stick approach is starting to work. Most successful prosecutions¹⁰ in the past have been the result of whistle-blowing or a lucky break; regulators have long suspected that many companies have publicly supported the law while privately¹¹ turning a blind eye to dodgy activities abroad, doubtless assuming that they would never be caught. The new approach is designed to encourage companies to police themselves, by punishing them only lightly when they turn themselves in.

　　相关管理人员拿此次和解做文章，自鸣得意地称这是自1977年《反海外腐败法》(FCPA)颁布以来实施最有力的一次。同时，他们还希望此次事件能证明他们采取的软硬兼施的措施已经开始生效。以往一些控诉成功的案件不是有人揭发就是运气使然，监管者一直怀疑许多公司虽然在公开场合坚决拥护法律，但私底下却对那些海外不法行为视而不见，还相信自己永远不会被绳之以法。现在新的监管方法目的在于鼓励那些公司进行自我监督，并对他们采取坦白从宽的政策。

　　The relatively¹² small fine imposed on Pfizer was the Justice Department's way of showing that firms that co-operate will be treated leniently¹³, says Ben Heineman of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Pfizer has gone out of its way to placate¹⁴ prosecutors¹⁵: it has been co-operating on the case since 2004, helping¹⁶ to identify illegal practices throughout its industry. It also oversaw¹⁷ the process that uncovered the misbehaviour at Wyeth.

　　哈佛肯尼迪政治学院的Ben Heineman称，此次美国司法部门对辉瑞公司罚款力度相对较轻就是为了表明会对那些协助调查的公司宽大处理。辉瑞公司早就开始煞费苦心地讨好检察官：从2004年起辉瑞就开始协助调查员调查此案，帮助其调查全行业的非法行为。辉瑞还监督了一项揭发惠氏不法行为的调查。

　　The regulators have accepted Pfizer's claim that the offences were committed by local staff acting¹⁸ without the knowledge of head office in America. This follows April's decision by the SEC to charge a senior executive at Morgan Stanley, a bank, with corrupt activity in Shanghai, but not to impose legal penalties on the bank, which tipped off regulators about its rogue¹⁹ employee. A few more examples of such regulatory forbearance and perhaps business will get the message.

　　辉瑞公司称，这些不法行为都是当地一些员工在美国总公司不知情的情况下做出的，监管者也接受了这一说法。在此前的四月，美国证券交易委员会控告摩根史坦利投资银行的一位高管在上海涉嫌贪污。但由于该银行主动向监管者揭发了员工的不法行为，因此美国证券交易委员会并未对该银行做出处罚。或许这样宽恕处理的例子再多一些，企业就能更好地领会监管者的意图了。

1 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

2 perks   

额外津贴，附带福利，外快( perk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perks offered by the firm include a car and free health insurance. 公司给予的额外待遇包括一辆汽车和免费健康保险。
• Are there any perks that go with your job? 你的工作有什么津贴吗？

3 guise   

n.外表，伪装的姿态

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
• The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。

4 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

5 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

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。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

8 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 aberration   

n.离开正路，脱离常规，色差

参考例句：

• The removal of the chromatic aberration is then of primary importance.这时消除色差具有头等重要性。
• Owing to a strange mental aberration he forgot his own name.由于一种莫名的精神错乱，他把自己的名字忘了。

10 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

11 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

12 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

13 leniently   

温和地，仁慈地

参考例句：

• He marked the paper leniently. 他改考卷打分数很松。
• Considering the signs he showed of genuine repentance,we shall deal leniently with him. 鉴于他有真诚悔改的表现，我们将对他宽大处理。

14 placate   

v.抚慰，平息(愤怒)

参考例句：

• He never attempts to placate his enemy.他从不企图与敌人和解。
• Even a written apology failed to placate the indignant hostess.甚至一纸书面道歉都没能安抚这个怒气冲冲的女主人。

15 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。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 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

18 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

19 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。