Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard 2010 Annual Report

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Office Highlights (continued) High-dollar settlements were reached with several leading drug companies. thwarting competition by • A $5.4 million settlement with making clinically insignificant Merck & Co., Schering-Plough changes in the dosage and Corp. and MSP Singapore form of TriCor in order to Co., over the companies’ long maintain patents, engaging in delay in releasing negative sham litigation over patents results from a clinical trial for they knew were invalid, and Vytorin, a cholesterol-lowering manipulating drug codes drug. In the study, Vytorin, a needed to facilitate generic combination of the drugs substitution. As a result, Zetia and Simvastatin, was no pharmacists were not able to more effective reducing the dispense less costly generic formation of plaque in carotid versions of TriCor. arteries than Simvastatin, a cheaper, generically available drug. Although the clinical trial ended in May 2006, a partial reporting of negative results did not come until January 2008, and complete results were not published until the following April. Prior to the study’s release, Vytorin had been heavily promoted in direct-to-consumer advertisements. • The Office continued to obtain significant settlements in the Average Wholesale Price (AWP) lawsuit filed in 2005 against 42 drug companies. The suit alleged deceptive trade practices, including manipulation of prices of prescription drugs, causing buyers to overpay. Settlements were reached in the 2010 fiscal year with Bristol Meyers Squibb for $900,000 and with Dey, Inc., and related companies for $250,000. Litigation against several other defendants in the suit is ongoing. Goddard Receives Top NAAG Award The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) presented Attorney General Goddard with its highest honor, the Kelley-Wyman Award, at its annual summer meeting. The award is given to the Attorney General who has done the most to advance the organization’s objectives. Goddard was chosen in recognition of his work in putting together the Western Union settlement and his leadership on several law enforcement initiatives, including mortgage fraud and fighting border crime. Terry Goddard receives the Kelley-Wyman Award from Jon Bruning (right), Attorney General of Nebraska and President of the National Association of Attorneys General. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard • 2010 Annual Report 10
Office Highlights (continued) “This award is a welcome pat-on-the-back for the hardworking men and women of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and our law enforcement partners,” Goddard said. Paul Charlton, former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, was among many law enforcement figures who congratulated Goddard. “AG Goddard very much deserves this prestigious award,” Charlton said. “Terry has taken on the drug cartels, human smugglers and border crime in effective and creative ways. He is a thoughtful prosecutor whose good work has now been recognized nationally by his peers.” Working Hard to Cope With Large Staff Cuts Like many state agencies, the Attorney General’s Office has been severely affected by the recession and state budget deficit. On two occasions, budget cuts imposed by the legislature forced staff reductions. In addition, when employees have retired or otherwise departed, their vacant positions often have not been filled to save dollars. The combined impact on the Office has been a decrease of almost 25 percent in the number of employees since I took office in 2003. Going back nine years to FY2001, the Office has lost 32 percent, or nearly one-third, of its fulltime positions. At the same time, the workload in many parts of the Office has increased as a result of the growth of fraud and other crimes spawned by the economic downturn. These layoffs have been painful for our Office, but the hard-working lawyers and staff continue to do all they can to maintain their high quality of work while coping with workforce reductions. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard • 2010 Annual Report 11
Page 1 and 2: Arizona Attorney General Terry Godd
Page 3 and 4: 2010 Arizona Attorney General’s A
Page 5 and 6: Office Highlights Historic settleme
Page 7 and 8: Office Highlights (continued) The L
Page 9: Office Highlights (continued) Bundl
Page 13 and 14: Criminal Division Division Summary
Page 15 and 16: Criminal Division (continued) The o
Page 17 and 18: Criminal Division (continued) Money
Page 19 and 20: Criminal Division (continued) plexi
Page 21 and 22: Criminal Division (continued) podia
Page 23 and 24: Criminal Division (continued) indic
Page 25 and 26: Criminal Division (continued) by Ad
Page 27 and 28: Public Advocacy Division (continued
Page 35 and 36: Child and Family Protection Divisio
Page 41 and 42: Civil Division (continued) • Vert
Page 43 and 44: Civil Division (continued) Money Aw
Page 45 and 46: Civil Rights Division (continued)
Page 47 and 48: Civil Rights Division (continued) f
Page 49 and 50: Solicitor General’s Office (conti
Page 51 and 52: Finance Division Chief Counsel Mark
Page 53 and 54: Employee Services Division The form

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard 2010 Annual Report

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?