In the course of recent health care fraud investigations against TAP Pharmaceuticals (Lake Forest, IL) and AstraZeneca International (London, United Kingdom), each pled guilty to one violation of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act, settled claims related to alleged violations of the False Claims Act without admitting guilt, and paid fines, settlements for liabilities, and reimbursements of dollar 850 million and dollar 355 million, respectively. In a unique aspect of these cases, federal investigators brought criminal charges against 14 TAP employees and investigated the billing practices of several urologists. These investigations resulted in guilty pleas from both urologists and industry employees relative to the Prescription Drug Marketing Act or the False Claims Act and probationary sentences with payments of fines and restitution to the government for urologists who cooperated with federal investigations. One uncooperative urologist was found guilty of violating the Federal False Claims Act and sentenced to 6 months of home arrest, excluded from Medicare for 5 years, required to provide 600 hours of free medical care to indigent patients and patients covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and paid fines and restitution to the government. The cases against TAP and AstraZeneca have been followed by federal and state investigations of allegedly illegal marketing practices of other pharmaceutical firms and have resulted in negotiated settlements of dollar 3.8 billion and dollar 71.5 million, respectively. Believing that an Average Wholesale Price-based reimbursement system was an important driving factor for these marketing activities, Medicare has shifted to an Average Sales Price-based reimbursement system. This is expected to greatly impact the practice of outpatient oncology nationwide.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2005.01.4605DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

false claims
12
federal investigations
8
marketing activities
8
prescription drug
8
drug marketing
8
paid fines
8
fines restitution
8
restitution government
8
price-based reimbursement
8
reimbursement system
8

Similar Publications

Digital Disputes: Minimizing Legal Vulnerability in the Information Age.

Aesthetic Plast Surg

January 2025

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

Background: This project aims to provide guidance for surgeons' online interactions by reviewing key legal decisions.

Methods: The Nexis Uni database was queried to search for state and federal case law and law journal articles. Search terms were "social media" AND (facial w/s plastic!) and internet AND advice AND "plastic surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Twin studies have suggested extremely high estimates of heritability for adolescent executive function, with no substantial contributions from shared environment. However, developmental psychology research has found significant correlations between executive function outcomes and elements of the environment that would be shared in twins. It is unclear whether these seemingly contradictory findings are best explained by genetic confounding in developmental studies or limitations in twin studies, which can potentially underestimate shared environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Quackery in Health is Still Around: Pseudoscientific Healing Practices Across the Globe.

J Coll Physicians Surg Pak

January 2025

Anti-Quackery Committee, Sindh Healthcare Commission, Karachi, Pakistan.

Fraudulent medical practices remain prevalent globally, fueled by digital platforms spreading false claims. This study analysed 3,327 published studies and 400 grey literature sources, selecting 38 studies and 19 excerpts for detailed examination. It identified 126 distinct quackery techniques and products used throughout history.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In today's post-truth times, where personal feelings and beliefs have become increasingly important, determining what is accurate knowledge has become an important skill. This is especially important during uncertainty crises (e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!