Pharma, whistleblower lessons learned from $900M Biogen settlement

The high price on Biogen’s $900 million settlement for False Claims Act (FCA) violations shows the government is still keenly interested in cases of illegal kickbacks in physician referrals, experts and attorneys said.

“It’s a wake-up call to companies that they need to remain diligent in their compliance in this area,” said David Colapinto, partner at whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto.

Last month, Biogen finalized settlement of the lawsuit, after years of litigation by former employee Michael Bawduniak. Bawduniak, represented by boutique law firm Greene, alleged the company paid illegal kickbacks to doctors to induce them to prescribe Biogen’s multiple sclerosis drugs.