Below are eight legal actions involving members of the drug supply chain, including pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies, pharmacists and distributors, reported by Becker's Hospital Review in the last two weeks.
1. J&J to pay $1B to settle most Pinnacle hip implant suits
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay about $1 billion to resolve the bulk of the lawsuits alleging it sold defective metal-on-metal hip implants.
2. Alabama pharmacy accused of billing $200M for unneeded drugs
Ten workers from the Global Compounding Pharmacy in Alabama, including a nurse practitioner, pharmacist and the pharmacy's owners, were charged in connection to a $200 million prescription drug fraud investigation.
3. Judge won't drop whistleblower suit against CVS Caremark
A federal judge has denied Aetna's bid to derail a whistleblower suit against CVS Caremark that alleges the pharmacy benefit manager overbilled Medicare by more than $1 billion for prescription drugs.
4. Insys execs guilty of opioid racketeering scheme
Insys Therapeutics founder John Kapoor and four other executives were convicted May 2 of a racketeering conspiracy that boosted sales of a highly addictive opioid, helping drive the opioid crisis in the U.S.
5. Louisville drug company to pay $17.5M to settle kickback charges
US WorldMeds, a pharmaceutical company based in Louisville, Ky., will pay $17.5 million to resolve allegations that it paid kickbacks to patients and physicians to improperly boost prescriptions for two of its drugs.
6. Whistleblowers claim Questcor bribed physicians to boost sales of its $39K drug
Two whistleblowers claim that Questcor Pharmaceuticals, now part of Mallinckrodt, bribed physicians and staff to boost sales of its $39,000 drug, according to newly unsealed court documents.
7. Ex-leaders of diabetes test supplier to settle fraud charges for $1M
The founders and former executives of a mail-order diabetes testing supply company each agreed to pay $500,000 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, according to the Department of Justice.
8. FTC sues Surescripts, claims it illegally monopolizes e-prescribing market
The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint April 17 in federal court against Surescripts, a health information network focused on e-prescriptions, alleging the company used illegal tactics to maintain monopolies in two e-prescribing markets.