Judge orders drug manufacturer to pay $10 million for falsifying expiration dates at SC plant

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a drug manufacturer that operated a plant in South Carolina to pay $10 million in connection with fraud. U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. fined Leiner Health Products LLC $1 million and ordered the company to forfeit an additional $9 million in profits for falsifying information on expiration dates for its medications, U.S. Attorney Walt Wilkins said. The now-bankrupt Leiner, based in Carson, Calif., is one of a few major companies that produce off-brand over-the-counter medications like pain relievers, antacids and decongestants for retail giants such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. Wilkins said the government found no evidence the drugs were... [read full story]