Whistleblower News From The Inside — March 1, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

Study says $3B in cancer drugs wasted each year from oversized packaging — “Many drug makers exclusively sell one-size-fits-all vials, ensuring that many smaller patients pay thousands of dollars for medicine they are never given, according to researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who published a study on Tuesday in BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal.”  NYT

Clinton chief attacks State Dept. watchdog — “John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, says there are ‘serious questions’ about the integrity of the State Department Office of Inspector General.”  The Hill

Monsanto given legal shield in a chemical safety bill — “Facing hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits, the giant biotechnology company Monsanto last year received a legislative gift from the House of Representatives, a one-paragraph addition to a sweeping chemical safety bill that could help shield it from legal liability for a toxic chemical only it made.”  NYT

7th Circuit rules Chicago Transit False Claims Act suit properly dismissed — “The Seventh Circuit on Monday refused to revive a public interest group’s False Claims Act suit alleging the Chicago Transit Authority misreported transit data to snag up to $55 million in inflated federal grant allocations, saying the group’s accusations had already been publicized in a state performance audit report and federal agency letter.”  Law360

USDA rejects whistleblower’s appeal — “USDA entomologist Jonathan Lundgren filed a complaint with the department in 2014, claiming he was restricted from publishing and talking about his research on pesticides and pollinating insects.”  MPR News

Whistleblower bill passes Oregon Senate — “The Oregon Senate voted 28-1 Monday to pass a bill that would give whistleblowers in public agencies and some nonprofit groups greater protection from retaliation or court proceedings.”  The Bulletin