DOJ Files False Claims Act Suit Accusing Novartis of Kickback Scheme

The complaint, filed today, is here. The U.S. Attorney's office press release describes the suit as follows: "The Government’s Complaint seeks treble damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act against Novartis for giving kickbacks, in the form of rebates and discounts, to 20 or more pharmacies in exchange for their switching transplant patients from competitor drugs to NOVARTIS’s drug, Myfortic. The lawsuit alleges that, as a result of NOVARTIS’s kickback scheme, Medicare and Medicaid have issued tens of millions of dollars in reimbursements based on false, kickback-tainted claims." The case is before Judge McMahon