Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Amgen to Pay $24.9 Million for Aranesp Kickbacks

Amgen Inc. has agreed to pay $24.9 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks.  According to the allegations, Amgen paid kickbacks in the form of rebates to long-term care pharmacies, including Omnicare Inc., in order to encourage those pharmacies to switch Medicare and Medicaid patients to its anemia drug Aranesp.  The case was initiated by a whistleblower.

Read the entire press release, “Amgen to Pay U.S. $24.9 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations"

Monday, February 11, 2013

SEC Solicits JPMorgan Chase Whistleblower Award Claims

The SEC has published a notice allowing whistleblowers to come forward with claims that information they provided to the government helped lead to the SEC’s $294 million settlement with JPMorgan Chase.  The SEC will review any claims and can award whistleblowers between 10% and 30% of the amount collected.  The SEC obtained the settlement in a suit alleging that JPMorgan Chase misled investors about mortgage-backed securities, causing investors to lose at least $37 million as a result of undisclosed problems with the underlying mortgages.  The settlement also included allegations that Bear Stearns, which JPMorgan Chase purchased in 2008, failed to disclose to mortgage-backed securities investors that the company had kept most of the proceeds from defective mortgages that were sold back to their originators.  Whistleblowers must file claims with the SEC before May 9th.

Read the entire article, “SEC Invites Whistleblower Claims in JPM Mortgage Settlement"

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Amgen Pleads Guilty, Pays $762 Million

Amgen has pled guilty and agreed to pay $762 million in connection with its off-label marketing of Aranesp, an anemia drug.  The company will pay $612 million to resolve civil False Claims Act allegations brought by ten separate whistleblowers.  In addition to Amgen’s off-label marketing of Aranesp, the civil settlement resolves allegations that the company marketed Enbrel and Neulasta for off-label uses, paid kickbacks to encourage prescription of its drugs, and engaged in false price reporting for several of its drugs.  Amgen will also pay $150 million in criminal fines and forfeiture.

Read the entire article, “Amgen Pleads Guilty, to Pay $762 Million to Settle False Claims Charge"

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Novartis to Pay $19.9 Million for Off-Label Marketing of Elidel in Texas

Novartis has agreed to pay $19.9 million to the state of Texas to settle allegations that it marketed a prescription eczema cream, Elidel, for off-label uses.  According to the whistleblower, a former marketing representative for Novartis, the company marketed Elidel for use in children under 2 years of age.  Such off-label use was not proven safe or effective and in 2005 the company added a warning to its product labeling that such use is associated with cancer in infants.

The whistleblower’s suit is pending in Pennsylvania federal court on behalf of the federal government and several states, including California, Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois, and Michigan.  The federal government has declined to intervene.

Read the entire article, “Novartis to Pay $19.9 Million to Settle False Claims Charge"

Friday, October 26, 2012

IRS Pays $38 Million to Whistleblower

The IRS paid $38 million to an individual who provided information that led to the recovery of $127 to $254 million in corporate taxes.  The claim, which involved actions “more akin to aggressive corporate tax planning than outright fraud,” was filed in early 2008.

According to the whistleblower’s attorney, both the existence and identity of the whistleblower remained confidential throughout the process.

Read the entire article, “IRS Pays $38 Million in Whistleblower Case"

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