March 16, 2015

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that New York along with 49 other states and the District of Columbia have reached a settlement with global pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. to resolves allegations that Daiichi violated the False Claims Act by using lavish meals and speaker programs to improperly induce physicians to prescribe the drugs Azor, Benicar, Tribenzor and Welchol. Under the agreement, Daiichi agreed to pay the US and state Medicaid programs $39 million. The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Daiichi sales representative Kathy Fragoules under the qui tam provisions of the federal and New York State False Claims Acts. She will receive $6.1 million of the federal recovery and an undisclosed portion of the state recoveries. NY

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, Pharma Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,