FTC and seven states seek contempt ruling against Shkreli over pharma ban

Martin Shkreli's 2022 release conditions bar him from participating in the pharmaceutical industry, including ownership stakes or business decisions

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and seven US states have alleged that pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli repeatedly violated a lifetime ban on participating in the pharmaceutical industry, and they are asking a judge to hold him in contempt.

In a motion filed on Tuesday in US district court in New York City, the FTC and its state co-plaintiffs allege that 43-year-old Shkreli - nicknamed the Pharma Bro" - has traded stocks in at least 60 pharmaceutical companies and publicly commented on their businesses since his release from prison in May 2022.