Novo Nordisk will pay nearly $58.7 million to settle a civil lawsuit claiming the company's sales team failed to share accurate information about health risks associated with the diabetes drug Victoza.
The drugmaker finalized the settlement with the Department of Justice Tuesday.
Here are three things to know.
1. The DOJ launched an investigation into Novo Nordisk's sale and marketing practices for Victoza in 2011. The DOJ alleged the drugmaker instructed sales representatives to give physicians information that created false or misleading impressions that Food and Drug Administration warnings for Victoza were wrong or not serious.
"When a drug manufacturer fails to share accurate risk information with doctors and patients, it deprives physicians of information vital to medical decision-making," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler.
2. The settlement fee contains a $12.15 million disgorgement Novo Nordisk must pay the government for alleged violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
3. Novo Nordisk did not admit any wrongdoing through the settlement.
"At Novo Nordisk, we take our responsibility to communicate the safety and clinical benefits of our medicines seriously, and remain committed to properly addressing safety questions healthcare professionals ask every day," Doug Langa, the head of Novo Nordisk's North American operations, said in a statement cited by Reuters.
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