Midwest Health Journalism Program fellow Jim Doyle, a reporter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, tells the story of Forest Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Forest Laboratories), which has been accused by federal regulators of sketchy marketing practices, primarily involving its antidepressants Celexa and Lexapro and unapproved pediatric use. The company has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and agreed to pay $300 million in criminal and civil penalties, Doyle reports.
Armed with the breaking news, Dolye then goes deeper, finds the company’s local roots, charts its rise and tries to pinpoint where it went wrong. It’s the same formula he used for his story on another imploding local drug-maker, KV Pharmaceuticals, earlier this year.
