Martin Shkreli 'Pharma bro' released early from prison

Former drug firm executive Martin Shkreli, who became infamous for ordering dramatic price hikes of a life-saving medicine, has been released early from prison.

Shkreli was serving a seven year sentence, after being found guilty of defrauding investors in 2017.

His release became public after photos of him circulated on social media.

He has been moved to a halfway house and could be freed completely in September.

The move came after he had completed "all programmes that allowed for his prison sentence to be shortened," lawyer Benjamin Brafman said.

Shkreli was convicted in 2017 of lying to investors about the performance of two hedge funds he ran, and stealing from his drugs company Retrophin, to pay them back.

He was due to be released from prison in 2023. Previous requests for early release had been denied.

The trial followed notoriety Shkreli had gained in 2015, after the company he ran raised the price of the long established drug Daraprim from $13.50 (£10.93) to $750 (£607), which is used to treat parasitic infections.

The unpopular move, and his unapologetic defence of it, earned him the nickname "Pharma bro".

Earlier this year, a Manhattan judge also found the move and others he orchestrated to keep competitors from producing the medicine, had violated US competition laws. He was barred from the industry for life and ordered to pay $64.6 million.