April 27, 2021

Indivior plc and Indivior Inc., will pay $300 million to settle claims from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, alleging they caused the misuse of state Medicaid funds by falsely marketing the drug Suboxone.  Suboxone is used by recovering opioid addicts to reduce withdrawal symptoms.  According to the governments, Indivior promoted the sale and use of Suboxone for unsafe, ineffective, and medically unnecessary purposes, including by claiming it was less susceptible to abuse even though the active ingredient, buprenorphine, is a powerful opioid itself.  Additionally, the company took steps to fraudulently delay the entry of generic alternatives in order to control pricing.  The settlement resolves six whistleblower suits pending in New Jersey and Virginia.  Indivior previously paid $600 million to resolve federal claims, and former parent company Reckitt Benckiser previously paid $1.4 billion to resolve the same.  CA AG; FL AG; MI AG

Tagged in: Healthcare Fraud, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medicaid, Misrepresentations, Whistleblower Case,