Letter: Misdemeanor is paltry penalty
Monday, May 14, 2012
A May 8 Columbian story reported “Abbott to pay $1.6B to settle medication claim.” Abbott Laboratories marketed and sold Depakote in “unlawful and misleading” ways for “adolescents and children” as well as for schizophrenia and dementia patients. What do we do with drug dealers who sell pharmaceuticals for “unlawful” and “unapproved” uses? We send them to prison. Sometimes for decades.
Abbott was fined roughly one year’s income off of Depakote. I have never heard of a drug dealer who was fined one year’s income on one of his product lines, then allowed to continue operating. These people at Abbott sold our relatives, our neighbors, and some of the most vulnerable people in our society drugs that did not work and were dangerous.
I believe the company should be banned from operating in the United States, just as any drug dealer would be.
Sean Coyle
Vancouver
