October 21, 2020

Purdue Pharma LP agreed to criminal fines and forfeitures totaling $5.544 billion following its guilty plea on charges arising from its manufacture and sale of opioid products.  Purdue falsely represented to the DEA that they maintained an effective anti-diversion program while continuing to market opioid products to healthcare providers that it had reason to believe were diverting opioids, aided and abetted the dispensing of opioids without a legitimate medical purpose, paid doctors to induce them to prescribe Purdue’s products, and paid an EHR company to boost the presence of Purdue’s products on the EHR system.  Purdue will receive a credit of up to $1.775 billion based on its prior settlements with state and local entities.  In addition to the criminal fines and forfeitures, a civil settlement provides the U.S. with an allowed claim of $2.8 billion to resolve claims that the company caused the submission of false claims to federal healthcare programs.  Individual members of the Sackler family, which owns Purdue, separately agreed to pay $225  million to resolve claims arising from their approval of a marketing program aimed at extreme high-volume prescribers and their transfer of assets into Sackler family holding companies and trusts.   DOJ

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, Criminal Proceedings, FCA Federal, Lack of Medical Necessity, Pharma Fraud,