Contact

Click here for a confidential contact or call:

1-212-350-2774

Drug and DME Pricing

This archive displays posts tagged as relevant to drug and durable medical equipment pricing. You may also be interested in our pages:

Page 2 of 7

December 6, 2021

Pharmacy benefit manager Centene Corp. will pay $27.6 million to the State of Kansas to resolve allegations that it failed to satisfy its obligation to represent the state’s best interests in negotiations with companies that supply drugs to the state Medicaid program, failed to accurately report discounts it received from CVS-Caremark on certain retail pharmacy claims, and artificially inflated dispensing-fee amounts reported to state regulators.  The state alleged that Centene used an opaque reporting system that made it difficult for the state to determine the nature and appropriateness of certain pharmacy transactions.  As part of the settlement, Centene also agreed to change certain business practices to ensure greater transparency.  KS

October 1, 2021

Pharmaceutical manufacturers Taro Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Sandoz Inc. and Apotex Corporation have agreed to pay a total of $447.2 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute arising from unlawful compensation received through arrangements on price, supply and allocation of customers with other pharmaceutical manufacturers of various generic drugs.  In connection with the FCA settlements, Taro will pay $213.2 million, Sandoz will pay $185 million, and Apotex will pay $49 million.  The civil settlements are in addition to previous deferred prosecution agreements resolving related criminal charges, pursuant to which Taro paid a criminal penalty of $205.6 million, Sandoz paid a criminal penalty of $195 million, and Apotex paid a criminal penalty of $24.1 million.  DOJ

Court says that fraudsters who violate rules they later claim are unclear may not violate the False Claims Act

Posted  08/19/21
Red and yellow pills scattered on hundred dollar bills
Last week, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appellate court for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin decided U.S. ex rel. Yarberry v. Supervalu, an important decision that may lead more unscrupulous government contractors to help themselves to public funds to which they are not entitled.  Unless the Supreme Court or Congress steps in to correct the Seventh Circuit’s errors, the government may have...

June 14, 2021

Centene Corp. will pay a total of $143.8 million to resolve claims by Ohio and Mississippi that it overbilled the states' Medicaid programs in its role as a pharmacy benefit manager.  The states alleged that Centene engaged in practices including "spread pricing," charging more than allowed price caps based on industry standards, inflation of dispensing fees, failure to disclose discounts received, and claiming reimbursement for prescriptions already paid for by third parties.  Ohio will receive $88.3 million, and Mississippi will receive $55.5 million.  OH; MS

Bristol-Myers Squibb Settlement Highlights a Common-Sense Law: The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program

Posted  04/2/21
Drug prices are out of control.  They now account for roughly 10% of our healthcare spending and America’s per capita outlay has nearly doubled over the past two decades.  For the least fortunate among us, many of these medications have become out of reach altogether. While new proposals are regularly made, one approach that often gets overlooked is simply enforcing the laws already on the books. That is just...

April 1, 2021

Pharma company Bristol-Myers Squibb will pay $75 million to settle a False Claims Act action, filed by a whistleblower, alleging that the company failed to pay amounts it owed under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. That program, the MDRP, requires drug manufacturers to report the Average Manufacturer Prices (AMPs) of their Medicaid-covered drugs to the government; the higher the reported AMPs, the greater the rebate owed by the pharma company to the government.  The whistleblower alleged that Bristol-Myers systematically under-reported their AMPs for a number of its drugs, including by reducing service fees it paid to wholesalers and excluding the value of price appreciation provisions in wholesale contracts. Of the total settlement, $41 million will be paid to the federal government, and the remainder to states participating in the settlement.  The government did not intervene, and the action was pursued by the whistleblower, Ronald J. Streck, who will receive an undisclosed share of the settlement.  USAO EDPA

Top Ten State Healthcare and Financial Fraud Recoveries of 2020

Posted  01/8/21
person raising the U.S. flag
State and local governments are on the front lines of enforcing anti-fraud laws and play a critical role in ensuring that businesses and individuals are held accountable.  Whistleblowers with information about corporate misconduct involving healthcare, government procurement, financial regulation, and tax may find that state proceedings offer them the best option. More than 30 states have False Claims Acts that...

December 17, 2020

Pharmaceutical company Biogen Inc. agreed to pay $22 million, and specialty pharmacy Advanced Care Scripts agreed to pay $1.4 million, to resolve claims that they conspired to use two foundations, the Chronic Disease Fund and The Assistance Fund, as conduits to pay Medicare co-payments for patients taking Biogen’s MS drugs, Avonex and Tysabri, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.  The government alleged that Biogen coordinated with ACS to time its payments to the foundations and direct its money to cover co-pay costs for patients using its drugs.  DOJ; USAO MA

November 2, 2020

Hospital system Memorial Health Services will pay a total of $31.5 million after self-disclosing that it overcharged California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, for outpatient prescription drug reimbursements under the 340B Drug Pricing Program.  Memorial Health billed Medi-Cal for outpatient drugs at its usual and customary rate, rather than the lower “actual acquisition costs,” as required under the 340B Drug Pricing Program. California will receive $18.9 million of the settlement, and the federal government will receive $12.6 million.  Cal; CD Cal

July 31, 2020

Canadian company Bausch Health, formerly known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals, will pay a $45 million penalty to resolve charges that its executives engaged in improper revenue recognition and misleading disclosures in SEC filings and earnings presentations between 2014 and 2015.  The company was alleged to have recorded false sales of products to specialty pharmacy Philidor Rx Services and its affiliates, which were controlled by Valeant.  In addition, Valeant allegedly misrepresented the source and materiality of revenue it received following a 500% increase in the price of its diabetes drug Glumetza.  Former CEO J. Michael Pearson will pay a civil penalty of $250,000; former CFO Howard B. Schiller will pay a civil penalty of $100,000; former controller Tanya Carro will pay a civil penalty of $75,000.  The individuals also agreed to return specified portions of their incentive compensation to the company.  SEC
1 2 3 4 7