• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
FinanceValeant

Valeant CEO Defends Firm but Says He Doesn’t Have ‘Full Knowledge’

By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 10, 2015, 12:06 PM ET
J. Michael Pearson, chief executive officer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg Economic Series: Canada 2015 in Toronto, Ontario Thursday May 21/2015. (Photo by Kevin Van Paassen/Bloomberg)
J. Michael Pearson, chief executive officer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg Economic Series: Canada 2015 in Toronto, Ontario Thursday May 21/2015. (Photo by Kevin Van Paassen/Bloomberg)Photograph by Kevin Van Paassen — Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

After seeing his company’s stock price plunge amidst an investigation into its drug pricing practices and its secretive relationship with a specialty pharmacy company, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International CEO Michael Pearson said on Tuesday that he didn’t believe his company had done anything wrong. But in a rare statement of vulnerability for a CEO, he admitted that he really didn’t know.

“For a company of this size, it’s impossible to have full knowledge of everything that is going on at all times,” Pearson said on a conference call with investors and analysts scheduled to address problems at the company.

Pearson also said the company suffered from an insular culture, and that in the future he would listen more closely to his critics.

The statement might be true, but it probably won’t inspire much confidence in Pearson at a time when he needs it. Valeant is under investigation for improperly hiking drug prices and for its relationship with Philidor Rx Services, a mail-order pharmacy company accused of fraudulent practices. Valeant’s stock has dropped more than 50% in the past three months.

Valeant recently severed ties to the pharmacy company and has formed a special board committee to investigate the matter. That committee has hired an outside counsel.

Tuesday’s conference call offered little in terms of substance about the state of the board’s investigation. Pearson said it was ongoing and declined to answer questions about it, but he seemed to suggest that the board had not yet found any wrongdoing by Valeant.

“There have been a lot of allegations of misconduct, but to my understanding there has not been any misconduct that has been proven,” said Pearson, who also said he was told by Philidor staff that they had not broken any laws. “There was no financial fraud at Philidor.”

Pearson also avoided answering questions about how much breaking ties with Philidor would hurt his company’s sales. Valeant has said that Philidor, which sold Valeant drug directly to patients, represented around 7% of the company’s sales. But Philidor has been growing rapidly, and appeared to make up a large portion of Valeant’s sales growth.

At times, Pearson said severing ties with Philidor would hurt the company’s results. At others, he said he expected many of the customers who bought drugs through Philidor to instead buy them through pharmacies or from other mail-order services not controlled by Valeant. He did not address why Valeant decided to increase its ties to Philidor in the first place.

Valeant said it dermatology and ophthalmology units could be hurt the most.

As Valeant defends itself, Andrew Left, who runs Citron Research and was one of the critics who unearthed the relationship between Valeant and Philidor that kicked off Valeant’s recent stock plunge, has found a new target in the drug industry: Malinkrodt. Unlike Valeant, Citron has not put out a report on the company. But a tweet from the short seller caused the stock to plunge 22% yesterday.

Malinkrodt’s CEO has said his company’s practices are unlike those employed by Valeant. Nonetheless, last month an analyst from Morgan Stanley said its drug pricing strategies were likely to come under scrutiny in the wake of the criticism of Valeant.

About the Author
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Sarah Youngwood, EVP and CFO at Nasdaq.
C-SuiteFinance
Inside Nasdaq CFO Sarah Youngwood’s AI playbook
By Sheryl EstradaJune 24, 2026
1 hour ago
Top CD rates today, June 24, 2026: Lock in up to up to 4.40%
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates today, June 24, 2026: Lock in up to up to 4.40%
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
Today’s top high-yield savings rates: Up to 5.00% on June 24, 2026
Personal FinanceSavings accounts
Today’s top high-yield savings rates: Up to 5.00% on June 24, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
You can ignore Trump’s threats to leave NATO: Pimco says they’re a ‘paper tiger’
EconomyMarkets
You can ignore Trump’s threats to leave NATO: Pimco says they’re a ‘paper tiger’
By Jim EdwardsJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 24, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 24, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 24, 2026
5 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 24, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 24, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 24, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
24 hours ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
23 hours ago
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
Investing
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
By Nick LichtenbergJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.