Forest Laboratories (FRX) 10-K 2008 FY Annual report

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION

I, Howard Solomon, certify that:

       1.  I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Forest Laboratories, Inc. ("the Company");

       2.  Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material
            fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light
            of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect
            to the period covered by this report;

       3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in
            this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of
            operations and cash flows of the Company as of, and for, the periods presented in this
            report;

       4.  The Company's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining
            disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e))
            and internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f)
            and 15d-15(f)) for the Company and we have:

                   a.  designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and
                        procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information
                        relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by
                        others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report
                        is being prepared;

                   b.  designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control
                        over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable
                        assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial
                        statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting
                        principles;

                   c.  evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures and
                        presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
                        and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such
                        evaluation; and

                   d.  disclosed in this report any change in the Company's internal control over financial
                        reporting that occurred during the Company's most recent fiscal quarter (the Company's
                        fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is
                        reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial
                        reporting.

       5.  The Company's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation
            of internal control over financial reporting, to the Company's auditors and the audit committee of
            the Company's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

                    a.  all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal
                         control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
                         Company's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

                    b.  any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who
                         have a significant role in the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 30, 2008

/s/ Howard Solomon       
Howard Solomon
Chief Executive Officer