Below are nine 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. Drug distributor, ex-CEO + COO indicted in connection with opioid conspiracy
Prosecutors criminally charged a prescription drug distributor and two of its former top executives in New York April 23, marking a first in the nation's fight against the opioid epidemic.
2. BCBS of Louisiana sues J&J subsidiary, alleges it filed sham lawsuits to thwart competition
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana is suing a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, accusing it of filing "sham" patent litigation to keep generic forms of Zytiga off shelves to maintain a monopoly on its best-selling prostate cancer drug.
3. J&J to pay $9.9M to settle Washington state surgical mesh case
Just before a trial was set to begin April 22 in Seattle, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $9.9 million to resolve a lawsuit claiming the company failed to warn patients about the risks of its pelvic mesh devices.
4. 53 medical professionals charged in sweeping opioid takedown
Dozens of medical professionals in seven states, including 31 physicians, eight nurse practitioners, seven pharmacists and seven other medical workers, are charged with participating in the unlawful prescribing of more than 32 million pain pills.
5. CVS to pay $535K to settle claims of filling forged prescriptions
CVS Health will pay $535,000 to resolve allegations that some of its pharmacies in Rhode Island filled dozens of forged prescriptions.
6. Vermont pharmacy sues insurer over prescriptions steered to mail order
Rutland Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy in Vermont, is suing a New York insurer, MVP Health Care, for pushing its customers to use a mail order pharmacy to fill prescriptions.
7. Martin Shkreli must face antitrust suit, judge rules
A federal judge has declined to dismiss an antitrust suit against "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli and Retrophin, the biotech he founded.
8. Jury orders Dignity Health to pay $3.4M to former pharmacy manager
A jury has decided that San Francisco-based Dignity Health must pay $3.4 million to a former outpatient pharmacy manager who claimed she was wrongly fired in 2015 for not fudging documents ahead of a federal probe.
9. 3 drugmakers pay nearly $123M to settle kickback claims
Three drugmakers — Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck and Alexion Pharmaceuticals — have agreed to pay $122.6 million to resolve allegations of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute by illegal use of copay assistance programs.