Novartis must pay $1.5 million in damages to a former employee who claimed she was fired in retaliation for objecting to a proposed drug study, according to STAT.
Min Amy Guo, who had been executive director of the Health Economics and Outcomes Research Group at Novartis, filed the whistle-blower lawsuit in 2014. The suit alleged that she was fired for raising concerns in 2012 about a potential study of a cancer drug by McKesson. She argued, at the time, that the study appeared to be a kickback to McKesson to help sell the medicine.
Novartis told STAT that they are "We are disappointed in, and disagree with, the jury's verdict in favor of the plaintiff. She was terminated for legitimate, nondiscriminatory business reasons, including her violation of company policy. We will vigorously pursue all post-verdict and appellate options in the case."
Read the full report here.