Population Council Sues RU-486 Distributor

The Population Council has filed a lawsuit against a San Diego businessman who has a license to manufacture and distribute the abortion pill RU-486 in the United States. The civil suit, filed in New York County Supreme Court, alleges that Joseph D. Pike of San Diego “fraudulently concealed crucial facts bearing directly on his character and fitness for a leading role in the project.” The suit specifically alleges that Pike had failed to inform the Population Council, a New York-based biomedical research firm, that he is a disbarred lawyer who was convicted of forgery in May in North Carolina. A similar suit was filed last week by Giant Group, a Beverly Hills-based company that is an investor in Pike-controlled companies that obtained a sub-license from the Population Council and Advances in Health Technology to produce and distribute RU-486. Pike could not be reached for comment.