Firm to pay $2m to settle price-fixing case

Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a state lawsuit alleging that the company inflated drug prices. Barr was among 13 generic drug makers sued by the Massachusetts attorney general in a federal complaint. At least one other company has settled, while litigation is pending against other firms. The lawsuit alleges that the companies inflated prices in reports to national pricing services. The state's Medicaid program uses the services to set reimbursement rates for Medicaid participants. The settlement with Barr involves prices set by subsidiaries Barr Laboratories and Duramed Pharmaceuticals. (AP)

A Harvard medical student battling to be allowed extra time to pump breast milk during a medical licensing exam plans said yesterday that she plans to take the test as soon as possible, after a court ruling in her favor yesterday. The state Appeals Court declined to reverse a decision made by a single justice last week that cleared the way for Sophie Currier to have extra time. The 33-year-old Brookline mother of a 5-month-old girl sued the National Board of Medical Examiners when it refused to give her more than the standard 45-minute break allowed students taking the nine-hour exam. The board's lawyer, who argued that granting Currier extra time would not be fair to other test-takers, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The USS Bradley, a 4,100-ton US Navy frigate, arrived in Boston yesterday. The ship is 453 feet long and 47 feet wide, equipped with missiles, a rapid fire, dual purpose 76mm gun, antisubmarine torpedoes, and two SH-60 LAMPS MK III helicopters. The 200 sailors aboard the Bradley will participate in a variety of activities while in Boston, including a community service event at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans yesterday and the Columbus Day parade. The ship will be open to the public for tours Saturday through Monday, 9 to 11 a.m, and 1 to 4 p.m. The ship is not handicapped-accessible.

In the first week of a 6-week filing period, only four Massachusetts companies admitted to not providing health insurance for their full-time workers, according to state figures. The state's universal health insurance law requires companies with 11 or more employees to contribute toward their employees' health insurance or pay a fee of up to $295 per employee per year. Companies must report to the state by Nov. 15. From Monday through the end of business Thursday, about 860 companies with 11 or more employees filed. Four said they would be subject to the fee.

An electrical transformer in an NStar building in downtown Boston emitted a loud noise last night, leading firefighters to initially believe that an explosion had occurred. But NStar spokesman Paul Connelly said there was no explosion in its Scotia Street facility, just a very loud noise as one transformer suddenly shut down and a second started up in its place. No power outages were reported in the incident, which happened at about 9:20 p.m..

The Sankaty Head Lighthouse is getting closer to its new home. Since Oct. 1, the venerable lighthouse has been moved 350 feet. Now it's only 55 feet from its new site on the Sankaty Head Golf Course. Robert Felch, president of the 'Sconset Trust, which owns the lighthouse, said a crew of 70 volunteers is expected to pitch in today with hydraulic jacks to position the structure for the final segment of its journey. The lighthouse is being moved because the steep bluff where it stood for 157 years is being eroded by the sea.

Officials at Bennington College announced yesterday that the college has received a $20 million gift, which they said they will use to implement curriculum changes. The donation by Robert M. and Susan P. Borden of Calgary, Alberta has enabled the college to raise the goal of its fund-raising drive from $75 million to $100 million. Susan Borden graduated from Bennington in 1969 and has been a trustee of the college since 1978. Bennington kicks off a yearlong 75th anniversary celebration today. (AP)