Drug maker Cephalon Inc. will pay $431 million to settle a number of whistleblower lawsuits accusing the company of promoting drugs for unapproved uses. As part of the global Justice Department settlement the company will also plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of distributing misbranded drugs. Four whistleblowers will split a combined award of more than $46 million under the settlement.
The whistleblower suits accused Cephalon of promoting three of its drugs — Actiq, Gabitril and Provigil — for uses other than what the U.S. Food & Drug Administration had approved.
Our firm has had involvement with these types of lawsuits in the past, which are also known as qui tam actions. Qui tam lawsuits are automatically filed under seal in court and referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution by the government. If you work for a pharmaceutical company and have proof of wrongdoing, you can put a stop to the action.
If you have a story to tell, contact Tim Edwards or Ed Wallis at (901) 527-2125, or send us an e-mail by clicking HERE.
