It's a brilliant charade. Politicians were in trouble. They of course are paid to keep things nice for Pharma (including monopolistic practices on drugs) but people were angry and they after all have to get reelected every 2,4,6 years, so they had to make it look like they were doing something without actually doing something. The brought Shkrelli in so they could perform as politicians concerned about their constituents. He wasn't willing to play his part.

Shkrelli still made a perfect scapegoat. The news has seemed to move on from the monopolistic practices thing like it never happened.