P.M. BRIEFING : Drug Executive Fined for Bribe
A pharmaceuticals executive was fined $150,000 and placed on 18 months’ probation for bribing a Food and Drug Administration chemist in a generic drug scam.
Ashok Patel, 49, of Upper Saddle River, N.J., was also sentenced to a year of community service.
The former senior vice president of Par Pharmaceuticals of Spring Valley, N.Y., pleaded guilty in July to paying a $500 gratuity to FDA chemist David Brancato.
Prosecutors said Patel paid Brancato a total of $1,600 to influence FDA approval of Par generic drugs. He was also accused of paying $2,900 to Charles Chang, Brancato’s boss in the FDA generic drug division.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
