Drugs

Texas Sues Lilly Over ‘Illegal Kickbacks’

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has filed suit against Eli Lilly, charging that the company bribed and illegally induced healthcare providers to prescribe 14 of its most profitable drugs, including the GLP-1 medications Mounjaro and Zepbound (both tirzepatide).

A statement (contains a link to the suit) from Paxton’s office says the illegal incentives offered by Lilly to enhance profits included “free nurses” and reimbursement support services.

“These inducements were designed to steer providers toward prescribing Eli Lilly’s drugs,” the statement says. “In many cases, these prescriptions were covered by Medicaid, resulting in millions of dollars in claims to Texas Medicaid that were tainted by Eli Lilly’s illegal marketing and quid pro quo arrangements in violation of the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act.”

The suit says that Lilly provided and/or had assistance from third parties in providing in-kind remuneration to providers in the form of patient-care services (“free nurses”) and reimbursement support services (“support services”). It says the case is not about the drugs’ effectiveness, but rather about whether Lilly violated Texas law by providing remuneration or items of value to induce providers to prescribe its drugs over others on the market.

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

Read more

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome