Biogen finalizes $900M settlement in false claims whistleblower suit
By 
Adrianne Appel2022-09-27T19:04:00
Biogen finalized a $900 million settlement concerning alleged kickbacks it paid to doctors to induce them to prescribe the company’s drugs and not those of its competitors, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday.
Biogen made the alleged payments to try and dampen competition for its multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs, including Avonex, Tysabri, and Tecfidera, according to the settlement.
The agreement, first disclosed by Biogen in July, ends years of litigation dating back to 2012, when former employee Michael Bawduniak blew the whistle on the alleged kickbacks. He filed a lawsuit against the company in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, citing violations of the False Claims Act (FCA).
Related articles
-
ArticlePharma, whistleblower lessons learned from $900M Biogen settlement
Experts discuss the ramifications of Biogen’s $900 million settlement for False Claims Act violations, including the $266.4 million whistleblower bounty in the case believed to be the largest single award under any government program.
-
ArticlePhilips to pay $1.3M in second kickback settlement in month
Philips RS North America agreed to pay approximately $1.3 million to settle charges it unlawfully paid kickbacks as part of its second resolution addressing alleged False Claims Act violations this month.
-
ArticleEssilor agrees to $22M settlement over kickback charges
Essilor, a manufacturer and distributor of optical lenses and equipment, will pay $22 million to settle allegations it paid kickbacks to spur sales in violation of the False Claims Act.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleNew York lab CEO allegedly billed insurers for $500M in fraudulent COVID test claims
The U.S. Department of Justice says the chief executive and medical director of Fast Lab Technologies allegedly engaged in a $500 million fraud scheme involving COVID-19 tests.
-
ArticleOFAC cracks down on Iran’s oil trade with new sanctions sweep
More than 50 people and 50 ships connected to a top Iranian official were added to the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions list on Wednesday, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
-
ArticleKentucky is latest state to file suit against Temu for alleged privacy violations
Kentucky took aim at Chinese company Temu, alleging in a lawsuit that it counterfeited popular Kentucky-designed merchandise and violated customers’ privacy.