Pharmaceutical Kickbacks

Right now the pharmaceutical industry is in the middle of its biggest challenge in history. Whistleblowers have exposed and continue to expose fraudulent practices ranging from pricing issues to sales and marketing practices at a rate never anticipated by either the pharmaceutical industry or the Department of Justice. Settlements and jury verdicts have been headline grabbing and large, attracting the attention of pharma, regulators, Congress and taxpayers. The qui tam pharmaceutical fraud cases settled since 2000 alone have amounted to over 3.5 billion dollars, representing various patterns of fraud. We expect to see some new patterns as time goes by, especially with the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. Pharmaceutical fraud is still abundant and this blog is intended to keep readers up to date with all pharmaceutical fraud related news and to provide commentary when warranted. This blog also contains an array of laws and regulations concerning the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act set out in an easy to read format.

Omnicare In Trouble

by Nolan and Auerbach on October 9, 2006

Omnicare is the nation’s largest supplier of prescription drugs for nursing homes serving approximately 1.4 patents or more than half the market.  However, the company appears to be under investigation for its Medicaid billing practices in three states: Massachusetts, Ohio and Michigan Omnicare’s top executive in Michigan has been indicted on racketeering and Medicaid fraud charges. A spokesperson for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office says the investigation is far from finished. In January 2006, Omnicare disclosed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusettts had subpoenaed documents that focused on its relationships with drug manufacturers and distributors.  In addition Johnson & Johnson in 2005 disclosed that its company received a subpoena in September 2005 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts “seeking documents related to sales and marketing of eight drugs to Omnicare, Inc.”

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