A federal judge has ordered that the maker of Oxycontin, Purdue Pharma release records in a case in which Kentucky alleged that improper marketing of the powerful painkiller fueled a widespread addiction and death. The lawsuit alleged that Purdue misrepresented how easy it is to become addicted to Oxycontin. Purdue Pharma, agreed in December to...

Pharmaceutical companies Wyeth and Pfizer Inc.will pay $784.6 million to resolve allegations that Wyeth knowingly reported to the government false and fraudulent prices on two of its proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs, Protonix Oral and Protonix IV. Pfizer, which is headquartered in New York City, acquired New Jersey-based Wyeth in 2009, approximately three years...

John Henry's fledgling medical news organization, The Boston Globe Life Sciences Media, LLC d/b/a STAT, HQ'd in Boston is taking on Pursue Pharma to try to obtain thousands of documents sealed by court order, including a deposition of Dr. Richard Sackler, a Purdue board member and former company president. In a STAT article released today,...

Pfizer has reported that its subsidiary Wyeth has agreed to settle claims of the Government and whistleblowers that its methods of calculating Medicaid rebates for its drug Protonix violated law. Wyeth has agreed in principal to pay $784.6 million in order to settle. Protonix is an acid suppressant drug. According to the Amended Complaint of...

The Justice Department is investigating half a billion dollars in possible health-care fraud linked to specialty creams used to treat pain which victimized veterans according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Compounding creams have recently been pitched by retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who promoted them to the elderly, athletes and others. It...

There is an important article in today's Wall Street Journal overviewing the significant increases in prices of drugs by the pharmaceutical manufacturers--despite rising criticism by patients, doctors, politicians and healthcare payers. Some think they have priced themselves out. Others, cited in this article think the companies still have the power to continue to raise...

Lumos Labs Inc. of San Francisco, the maker of Lumosity, the "brain training" games has agreed to pay $2 million in refunds to settle federal charges that it deceived customers about the cognitive and health benefits of its apps and online products. The Federal Trade Commission said that this, marks the highest penalty paid on...

The state of Kentucky will receive $39.5 million from the makers of OxyContin and Risperdal, resolving claims that the safety of the drugs were misrepresented to the state's residents. The settlement agreement requires Johnson & Johnson to pay $15.5 million over failing to warn about the potential side effects of Risperdal, and Purdue Pharma LP...

The United States Attorney's Office in New York has announced a $39 million settlement against Vintage Pharmaceuticals, LLC, d/b/aΠQUALITEST PHARMACEUTICALS; Vintage'S corporate parent Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and seven of their corporate subsidiaries or affiliates (collectively, "QUALITEST") in a civil fraud lawsuit. This global settlement resolves federal claims under the False Claims Act, 31...