Below are seven legal actions involving members of the drug supply chain, including pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, reported by Becker's Hospital Review in the last week:
1. Purdue Pharma reportedly unnamed opioid company in Practice Fusion kickback probe
Purdue Pharma has been identified as the unnamed company referenced in criminal charging documents released this week in an opioid kickback probe involving EHR vendor Practice Fusion.
2. FTC, New York sue Martin Shkreli, say he blocked generic competition
The Federal Trade Commission and New York's attorney general filed a lawsuit Jan. 27, accusing Martin Shkreli —the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals who became infamous for hiking the price of a lifesaving drug by 4,000 percent overnight — of scheming to thwart generic competition.
3. 4th patient charity settles Medicare kickback allegations
A fourth patient charity agreed to pay $3 million to settle claims it enabled drugmakers to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients who used their drugs.
4. McKesson OKs $175M settlement of claims it failed to monitor opioid shipments
McKesson's board agreed to pay $175 million to settle accusations from the company's investors that directors ignored suspicious opioid shipments.
5. Insys founder gets 5.5 years in prison
John Kapoor, the founder of Insys Therapeutics, was sentenced Jan. 23 to 66 months in prison for running a scheme to bribe physicians to prescribe an addictive opioid.
6. Insys exec who dressed as a life-size fentanyl bottle gets 26 months in prison
Alec Burlakoff, the former vice president of sales at Insys Therapeutics who became famous for making a video of himself rapping as a life-size fentanyl bottle, was sentenced Jan. 23 to 26 months in prison for his role in a scheme to boost sales of Insys' opioid drug.
7. Former Insys CEO gets 30 months in prison
Michael Babich, formerly the CEO of Insys Therapeutics, was sentenced to 30 months in prison Jan. 22 for his role in a scheme to boost sales of Subsys, a fentanyl spray.