Express Scripts (NSDQ:ESRX) and other pharmacy benefit managers have been accused of giving Mylan‘s (NSDQ:MYL) EpiPens favorable placement on drug formularies in exchange for kickbacks, according to a proposed class action filed in Kansas federal court this week. The suit was brought by people covered under Employee Retirement Income Security Act benefit plans. These consumers claim […]
Legal News
Federal judge dismisses faulty birth control suit against Merck
A Maine federal judge tossed out a woman’s lawsuit against Merck (NYSE:MRK), after she claimed that the company’s Nexplanon birth control implant allegedly failed to keep her from becoming pregnant. Kayla Doherty filed the suit in April 2015, seeking damages related to the costs of raising a child as a single mother and costs related to […]
Shareholder suit against Alere stays alive
A Massachusetts federal judge dismissed most of a securities fraud class action case against Alere (NYSE:ALR) yesterday, saying that the complaint did not support the claim that Alere senior management had prior knowledge of the company’s alleged wrongdoing. U.S. district judge Patti Saris did, however, allow one part of the complaint to move into discovery. The […]
South Carolina becomes latest state to sue opioid-maker Purdue
On Tuesday this week, South Carolina became the latest state to sue Purdue Pharma, accusing the drugmaker of deceptively marketing their addictive products in a way that fueled the ongoing opioid crisis. The state’s attorney general said that Purdue told doctors that opioids are not addictive and patients who appear to be addicted were only […]
House Dems launch MS drug pricing probe
Democrats from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have sent letters to seven drugmakers as part of an investigation into why prices for multiple sclerosis drugs have nearly quadrupled since 2004. Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Peter Welch (D.-Mass) penned inquiries to Bayer (ETR:BAYN), Biogen (NSDQ:BIIB), EMD Serono, Novartis (NYSE:NVS), Roche (OTC:RHHBY), Sanofi Aventis (NYSE:SNY) and Teva Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:TEVA). […]
Mylan inks $465m settlement with DOJ over EpiPen Medicaid classification
Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) said today that it inked a $465 million deal with U.S. Dept. of Justice to settle claims that it misclassified its EpiPen allergy auto-injector device with the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. In October last year, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that Mylan had been overcharging Medicaid for its EpiPen device for years, […]
Sanofi brings another insulin glargine patent suit against Merck
Sanofi Aventis (NYSE:SNY) yesterday filed another patent lawsuit against Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (NYSE:MRK), alleging that Merck’s product infringes upon two patents covering Sanofi’s insulin glargine product, Lantus. In July, Merck won tentative approval for its follow-on biologic version of Sanofi’s Lantus. The agency’s final regulatory nod is contingent upon the resolution of these patent infringement […]
Endo swings to Q2 loss on $775m pelvic mesh set-aside
Endo International (NSDQ:ENDP) posted a net loss in the second quarter of this year, citing charges like the $775 million it has set aside to resolve 22,000 remaining lawsuits relating to the company’s vaginal-mesh implants. The generic drugmaker faced other setbacks this quarter, including the FDA asking that Endo pull its painkiller, Opana ER, from the […]
DOJ subpoenas Mallinckrodt over opioids
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:MNK) said yesterday that it received a subpoena from the U.S. Dept. of Justice requesting information related to its marketing practices and sales of opioids. The company, which manufactures only generic and non-promoted branded opioids, said that it has worked to prevent misuse and diversion of its products, pointing to efforts like its testimonies […]
United Therapeutics logs Q2 beat
Shares in United Therapeutics (NSDQ:UTHR) fell today even though the biotech beat expectations on Wall Street with its second quarter results. The company recorded a net loss for the quarter and revealed that it has set aside $210 million for a possible settlement with the Dept. of Justice, according to United’s quarterly regulatory filing. The DOJ […]
