U.S. authorities are investigating British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc for violations of U.S. anti-bribery laws in China after Chinese government officials accused the company of bribing doctors, three sources familiar with the probe said this week. Once again, GlaxoSmithKline has the U.S. Justice Department on its tail. Prosecutors are investigating bribery allegations that Glaxo ($GSK) […]
Two patients have died unexpectedly after their Zyprexa Relprevv injections, and the FDA is now investigating. The agency says the patients died three to four days after receiving “an appropriate dose,” and both had “very high” blood levels of olanzapine, the long-acting Zyprexa product’s active ingredient. Under a risk-management plan imposed when Zyprexa Relprevv was […]
Ranbaxy Laboratories made history . The India-based generics maker pleaded guilty to U.S. drug safety violations and agreed to pay $500 million in penalties, in the largest-ever federal settlement with a maker of copycat drugs. Ranbaxy pleaded guilty to three felony counts of violating drug-safety laws and four felony counts of making false statements […]
The United States government announced its second civil fraud lawsuit against the Swiss drug maker Novartis in four days, accusing a unit of the company of paying multimillion-dollar kickbacks to doctors in exchange for prescribing its drugs. The authorities said that for a decade, the company lavished healthy speaking fees and “opulent” meals, including a […]
The U.S. Department of Justice said that biotech drugmaker Amgen Inc. paid $24.9 million to resolve claims it paid kickbacks to increase sales of its anemia drug Aranesp. The Justice Department said Amgen paid kickbacks to Omnicare Inc. and PharMerica Corp., which sell drugs to long-term care providers like nursing homes and hospitals, and Kindred […]
A plaintiff’s lawyer in the latest lawsuit claims Merck ($MRK) was warned about the potential for spontaneous fractures 5 years before Fosamax made its debut. Merck faces 3,300 lawsuits alleging that the bone drug caused serious femur fractures. Pennock represents Fosamax user Bernadette Glynn, who used the drug for 7 years. She claims that Fosamax […]
TAP Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TAP) paid the United States government $559.5 million and state governments $25.5 million to settle one of the largest civil Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases in history. It also paid a $290 million criminal fine. Initiated by whistleblowers and joined by the United States Department of Justice, two civil False Claims Act […]
Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (EPI), a subsidiary of the Irish pharmaceutical manufacturer Elan Corporation, PLC (Elan), pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor violation of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act for the illegal promotion of the epilepsy drug Zonegran. Elan was also sentenced to pay a criminal fine of $97 million and forfeit $3.6 million in […]
Cephalon Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH), a pharmaceutical company based in Frazer, Pennsylvania, paid $ 375 million for Medicare and Medicaid fraud involving the sales and marketing of Actiq, Gabitril and Provigil between 2001 and 2006. At the same time, Cephalon pleaded guilty to a criminal charge involving off-label marketing of the drugs and paid $50 million […]
Allergan Inc, a multi-specialty healthcare company, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle federal charges for “illegally promoting and selling” Botox through 2005 for “unapproved uses” like treating headaches. According to ConsumerAffairs.com, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved Botox only for use in rare conditions but the company had vigorously promoted it for […]