**Exhibit31.1**

**CERTIFICATION**

**I, Howard Solomon, certify that:       1.  I havereviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Forest Laboratories,Inc. ("the Company");       2.  Based on myknowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial           fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make thestatements made, in light             ofthe circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect             tothe period covered by this report;       3.  Based on myknowledge, the financial statements, and other financialinformation included in             thisreport, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, results of             operationsand cash flows of the Company as of, and for, the periods presentedin this             report;       4.  TheCompany's other certifying officer and I are responsible forestablishing and maintaining             disclosurecontrols and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e)and 15d-15(e))            andinternal controls over financial reporting (as defined in ExchangeAct Rules 13a-15(f)            and15d-15(f)) for the Company and we have:**

**                   a.  designedsuch disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosurecontrols and                        proceduresto be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation                         relatingto the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is madeknown to us by                         otherswithin those entities, particularly during the period in which thisreport                         isbeing prepared;**

**                   b.  designedsuch internal control over financial reporting, or caused suchinternal control                         overfinancial reporting to be designed under our supervision, toprovide reasonable                         assuranceregarding the reliability of financial reporting and thepreparation of financial                         statementsfor external purposes in accordance with generally acceptedaccounting                         principles;**

**                   c.  evaluatedthe effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls andprocedures and                         presentedin this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls                        andprocedures, as of the end of the period covered by this reportbased on such                       evaluation; and**

**                   d.  disclosedin this report any change in the Company's internal control overfinancial                         reportingthat occurred during the Company's most recent fiscalquarter (the Company's                         fourthfiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that hasmaterially affected, or is                         reasonablylikely to materially affect, the Company'sinternal control over financial                         reporting.       5.  TheCompany's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based onour most recent evaluation           of internal control over financial reporting, to the Company'sauditors and the audit committee of            the Company'sboard of directors (or persons performing the equivalentfunction):                    a.  allsignificant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design oroperation of internal                         control overfinancial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affectthe                         Company's abilityto record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and**

**                    b.  anyfraud, whether or not material, that involves management or otheremployees who                          havea significant role in the Company's internal control over financialreporting.**

**Date: August 8, 2008**

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**/s/ Howard Solomon        Howard SolomonChief Executive Officer**