I am not in contempt over drug business ban

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Martin Shkreli on Friday urged a U.S. choose to not maintain him in civil contempt for failing to supply federal and state regulators with data to find out whether or not he’s violating a lifetime ban from working within the pharmaceutical business.

In a submitting in Manhattan federal court docket, Shkreli stated he has complied with the February 2022 ban “as extensively as attainable and in good religion,” and has offered the supplies sought by the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) and 7 states.

The ban additionally included a $64.6 million civil positive, which Shkreli stated he’s “up to now unable” to pay. He stated he meant to conform absolutely with the ban and supply requested data.

Spokespeople for the FTC didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

The FTC had accused Shkreli final month of failing to supply details about Druglike Inc, an organization it stated he shaped final July.

In Friday’s submitting, Shkreli stated he by no means had an possession stake or government function at Druglike, which he believed has been dissolved, and that he hoped to lift cash for its successor DL Software program, which he co-founded.

He additionally stated Druglike and DL Software program have been “software program firms creating skilled software program for chemists and physicists,” and thus exterior his pharmaceutical business ban.

Shkreli turned referred to as “pharma bro” after elevating the value of the anti-parisitic drug Daraprim to $750 per pill from $17.50 in 2015, and showing unapologetic when criticized.

The lifetime ban associated to Shkreli’s efforts to maintain generic variations of Daraprim off the market.

U.S. District Choose Denise Cote, who imposed the ban and $64.6 million penalty, will resolve the FTC contempt movement. The states becoming a member of the movement are New York, California, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in jail after being convicted in 2017 of defrauding buyers in two hedge funds he ran, and scheming to defraud buyers within the drugmaker Retrophin Inc. He was launched early from jail final Might.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Enhancing by Daniel Wallis)