Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. agreed earlier this month to pay $678 million to settle an SDNY False Claims Act case. The SDNY alleged that Novartis violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute by giving doctors cash payments, exorbitant speaker fees, and expensive dinners to induce them to prescribe Novartis cardiovascular and diabetes drugs. The
Compound prescription drugs have increasingly become a target for DOJ health fraud enforcement activities. In early April, the SDNY U.S. Attorney’s Office entered into a civil settlement with two pharmacies and two individuals for submitting fraudulent claims for reimbursement for compounded prescription drugs in violation of the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Compounding
The Supreme Court today unanimously decided that a relator may take advantage of the longer ten-year statute of limitations under the False Claims Act in a case in which the United States has declined to intervene, as long as the action is brought within three years of Government knowledge of the alleged fraud. Cochise Consultancy,
Earlier this week, the Department of Justice Civil Division announced guidelines for factors to consider and credit to be given in False Claims Act investigations and prosecutions. The guidelines broadly stressed three forms of conduct that may merit credit, including voluntary self-disclosure of misconduct, meaningful cooperation with an FCA investigation, and implementation of adequate and
The Second Circuit examined the False Claims Act’s “alternate remedy” provision for the first time yesterday, holding that a fugitive who had dismissed his qui tam action was not entitled to a share of a $25.6 million FCA settlement. In United States v. L-3 Communications EOTech, Inc., the Second Circuit held that relator Milton
New York City will pay $5.3 million to the United States for fraudulently obtaining FEMA funds related to Superstorm Sandy in a False Claims Act settlement with the Southern District of New York. The City admitted improperly seeking reimbursement from FEMA for vehicles that were not damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
Superstorm Sandy swept through New
EDNY Judge Nina Gershon analyzed several False Claims Act issues in United States ex rel. Omni Healthcare Inc. v. McKesson Corp., ruling on first-to-file, Rule 9(b), and statute of limitations issues.
Relator Omni Healthcare alleged that defendants improperly used “overfill” in vials of injectable drugs. “Overfill” is the amount of a drug in excess