Whistleblower Causes Public Alert to Tasigna Side Effects
Whistleblowers are encouraged to come forward when corporate activities put public health in danger
Monday, November 27, 2017 - Lawsuits against Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis alleging that their second-generation anti-cancer drug Tasigna causes heart disease may have been triggered when a Novartis employee blew the whistle on what he believed to be unethical and illegal marketing activities by Novartis. Knowing that their flagship cancer miracle drug Gleevec was going off patent in a short while the company sought to head off competition from cheaper generic brands by having oncology physicians and specialty pharmacies recommend existing patients refill their Gleevec prescriptions with Tasigna. Executives at Novartis turned a blind eye to the growing number of reports of atherosclerosis being linked with Tasigna and instead focused on saving Gleevec/Tasigna's billion-dollar annual US market share. New patients were prescribed Tasigna over Gleevec as well. Attention to the questionable Tasigna marketing scheme was brought to light when whistleblower David Kester, a Novartis sales manager, and the US Department of Justice sued Novartis for $3.35 billion, settling the case for $390 million. The case took just under four years to complete. The investigation into the Novartis marketing scheme found that overall, a total of 166,000 false claims were made to Medicare and Medicaid. Under the False Claims Act, plaintiffs are entitled to triple damages and a civil penalty of $5500 to $11000 for each false claim.
Whistleblowers in the pharmaceutical industry are encouraged to come forward because when doctors are bribed to prescribe one drug over another based solely on financial incentive the result can be medically unnecessary or unsuitable medication given to a patient. Not only did the scheme put patient's health in jeopardy it also defrauded health insurance companies. Medicaid and Medicare are aware of this and refusing to pay for such prescriptions. Under the False Claims Act, the federal government is required to pay whistleblowers a percentage of the settlement and it is reported that Kester earned at least 15% of the amount recovered by taxpayers. Mr. Kester continued to work at Novartis for 18 months after contacting the government until a formal complaint against Novartis was brought forward.
Novartis marketing representatives conducted sales contests and paid cash incentives to specialty pharmacies that refilled the greatest number of Gleevec prescriptions with Tasigna each month as well as the greatest overall Tasigna sellers were also rewarded. Targeting specialty pharmacies is particularly disturbing as they have been given the authority to distribute particular drugs that treat patients deemed to have life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. Anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs themselves can cause serious side effects and deaths. Failing to accurately fill a prescription can cause a patient to suffer greatly or even die. Thousands of cancer patients have been steered to take Tasigna over safer, less expensive generic alternatives without being given the warning that Tasigna causes atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease. Currently, there are hundreds of Tasigna atherosclerosis lawsuits pending against Novartis in US courts seeking damages, reimbursement of medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.
More Recent Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuit News:
- Tasigna Patients Are Warned of The Risk of Sudden Death | 5/13/2019
- Tasigna's Atherosclerosis Risk Is Well-Documented By Researchers For Peer-Reviewed Medical Publications | 5/8/2019
- Tasigna's Atherosclerosis Side Effect Is Not Forgotten | 4/17/2019
- Trying Tasigna As A Last Resort May Make Sense To Terminally Ill Cancer Patients | 4/12/2019
- Novartis Claim Tasigna Can Help Parkinson's Patients is Met With Skepticism | 4/4/2019
- Novartis Failed To Warn American Doctors Who In Turn Failed To Warn Patients of Tasigna's Atherosclerosis Risks | 3/20/2019
- Tasigna Is Being Repurposed To Treat Parkinson's Disease | 3/14/2019
- Some Patient Can Cease Taking Tasigna But They May Have Already Developed Atherosclerosis | 3/12/2019
- Health Experts Warn of Potentially Deadly Tasigna Drug Interactions | 3/5/2019
- The Potential To Someday Stop Tasigna Treatments Should Not Be An Incentive To Take The Drug | 2/28/2019
- Tasigna Studies Show The Drug Should Be Taken As A Last Resort | 2/24/2019
- Cancer Doctors and Medical Websites Should Take Tasigna's Atherosclerosis Risks More Seriously | 2/18/2019
- The FDA May Be Putting Children's Lives In Danger By Ignoring Tasigna's Atherosclerosis Risk | 2/12/2019
- The FDA May Have Overlooked Tasigna's Atherosclerosis Side Effect When Approving its Usage by Children | 2/5/2019
- Children With Cancer May Now Start Taking Tasigna | 1/31/2019
- Studies Reported by Leading Experts Focus on Tasigna Toxicity | 1/25/2019
- Novartis Has a History of Deceptive Sale Practices That Taints Their Credibility | 1/22/2019
- Novartis Changes Tasigna's Label But Not Its Toxicity | 1/16/2019
- Tasigna Doctors May Be Ignoring Atherosclerosis Risks | 1/11/2019
- Cancer Doctors Prescribing Tasigna Should Be Trained Like Heart Specialists | 1/8/2019
- Tasigna is Effective in Treating Chronic Myeloid Leukemia | 1/1/2019
- Early Warning Signs of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) | 12/5/2018
- CML Patients in Remission May Discontinue Taking Tasigna | 12/1/2018
- Tasigna's Atherosclerosis Warnings is Rarely Seen by Cancer Patients | 11/28/2018
- Novartis' Failure to Warn the FDA May Have Led to Atherosclerosis in As Many As One in Four Tasigna Patients | 11/12/2018
- Novartis Highlights Tasigna's Effectiveness yet Downplays The Drug's Deadly Side Effects | 11/8/2018
- Novartis Takes Advantage of Tasigna's Catch 22 | 10/30/2018
- Tasigna Atherosclerosis Ignored by Novartis Celebrity Spokesperson | 10/24/2018
- Oncologists May Be Ignoring the Cardiovascular Side Effects of Tasigna | 10/16/2018
- The FDA Atherosclerosis Warning Came Too Late for Tasigna Patients in the United States | 10/8/2018
- One-Third of Tasigna Patients Could Face Coronary Bypass Surgery | 10/4/2018
- Billion Dollar Fines Are Just a Cost of Doing Business For Novartis | 10/2/2018
- Cancer Patients Should View Novartis' New Tasigna Label With Scepticism | 9/28/2018
- Novartis Boasts of Tasigna's Effectiveness While Ignoring the Atherosclerosis Side Effects | 9/27/2018
- Tasigna May Be One Of The Most Deadly Drugs On The Market Today | 9/25/2018
- NBA Star's Arterial Blockage May Have Been Caused by Taking Tasigna | 9/22/2018
- Taxpayers Saved Billions By Novartis AG Whistleblower | 9/20/2018
- Tasigna Carries The Unacceptable Risk of Developing Atherosclerosis and Amputation | 9/19/2018
- Tasigna's Cancer-Fighting Success May Be Tempered By The Risk Of Sudden Death | 9/17/2018
- Novartis Pulled No Punches In Warning Canadians About The Atherosclerosis Related Side effects Of Tasigna Yet Said Nothing To Warn Cancer Patients In The United States. | 9/11/2018
- Novartis is a Repeat Offender for Fraudulent Drug Marketing | 8/29/2018
- Peripheral Artery Disease Plagues Tasigna Patients | 8/27/2018
- Patients Could Have Benefited From Gleevec's Generic Alternative | 8/21/2018
- Novartis/Tasigna Lawsuit May Seek Punitive Damages | 8/17/2018
- Tasigna Atherosclerosis Trial Set to Proceed | 8/14/2018
- Medical Websites Ignore Tasigna's Risks | 8/10/2018
- Novartis haste in rushing Tasigna to market has cost patients their lives | 8/8/2018
- Tasigna's Side Effects Require Special Attention From Prospective Patients | 8/6/2018
- Novartis Whistleblower Receives $12 Million For His Efforts | 7/31/2018
- Tasigna Atherosclerosis Hidden From Americans | 7/30/2018
- Gleevec Was a Cancer-Curing Miracle Drug | 7/26/2018
- Tasigna Stroke Victim's Trial to Proceed in Florida | 7/24/2018
- Novartis Employee Blows Whistle on Tasigna Fraud and Others | 7/20/2018
- Tasigna Side Effects Are Worse Than Cancer | 7/18/2018
- Tasigna Cancer Medication Carries More Risks Than Others | 7/11/2018
- Specialty Pharmacists Bribed to Prescribe Tasigna | 7/6/2018
- Novartis Billion-Dollar Fine for Fraudulent Marketing Tactics | 7/2/2018
- Tasigna Black Box Warning Addendum | 6/29/2018
- Tasigna Replaced Gleevec and Patients Suffered | 6/25/2018
- Specialty Pharmacists Selling Tasigna Compromised Ethical Standards | 6/20/2018
- US Department of Justice Fines Novartis One Billion Dollars | 6/13/2018
- Tasigna Sudden Death Warning | 6/11/2018
- Tasigna Cancer Treatment Poses Scary Risks | 6/7/2018
- Novartis Fraudulent Marketing Deception | 5/29/2018
- Tasigna Atherosclerosis Warning Never Made it to the US | 5/25/2018
- Novartis Tasigna Anti-Cancer Drug Has Side Effects That Include Sudden Death | 5/22/2018
- Tasigna Replaced Gleevec Under Fraudulent Circumstance | 5/18/2018
- Novartis Held Accountable For Concealing Tasigna Atherosclerosis Risk | 5/15/2018
- Tasigna Chemotherapy Carries a Sudden Death Warning | 5/10/2018
- Novartis Warns That Tasigna Can Cause Atherosclerosis | 5/6/2018
- Tasigna Poses Atherosclerosis Amputations Risk | 5/3/2018
- Tasigna Rushed to Market to Replace Gleevec | 12/29/2017
- Whistleblower Saves American Taxpayers Millions | 12/22/2017
- Gleevec-the Novartis AG Wonder Drug | 12/20/2017
- Tasigna Warnings | 12/18/2017
- Tasignas Black Box Warning Links The Drug To Atherosclerosis | 12/15/2017
- Novartis Fails To Warn The U.S. Medical Community About The Side Effects of Tasigna | 12/11/2017
- Tasigna Replaces Gleevec as the Novartis AGs Signature Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy Drug | 12/6/2017
- The Unmistakable Signs of Peripheral Artery Disease | 12/1/2017
- The Estate of a California Man is Suing Novartis | 11/20/2017
- Ex-Novartis Salesmanager Blows The Whistle On Illegal Drug Marketing | 11/13/2017
- U.S. Cancer Patients Receive Tasigna Atherosclerosis Warning | 11/6/2017
- Novartis Marketed Tasigna to Replace Gleevec | 11/3/2017
- Leukemia Patients May Suffer From Heart Disease as Well | 10/30/2017
- Novartis' Potentially Misleading Drug Marketing Campaign | 10/23/2017
- Health Canada Issued a Tasigna Health Warning In 2013 | 10/16/2017
- Lawsuits Allege Novartis Was Aware of The Side Effects of Tasigna Yet Failed to Warn The American Public | 10/9/2017
- Tasigna Chemotherapy Atherosclerosis-related Side Effects | 10/2/2017
- The Onder Law Firm Seeks to Hold Novartis Accountable for the Suffering Tasigna Has Caused Families | 9/29/2017
- Novartis Fails to Warn About Tasigna Atherosclerosis | 9/22/2017
- Side Effects of Tasigna Cancer Drug Include Atherosclerosis and Peripheral Artery Disease | 9/15/2017
- Novartis Put Profits Ahead of Patients | 9/7/2017
- Novartis Failed to Warn the American Medical Community of the Side Effects of Tasigna | 9/1/2017
- Atherosclerosis Linked to Tasigna Anti Cancer Drug | 8/18/2017
- You Can Sue Novartis If You Have Developed Atherosclerosis-Related Conditions After Taking Tasigna | 8/11/2017
- Who Can Be Considered A Tasigna Victim | 8/4/2017
- Novartis AG makers of Tasigna Failed to Warn Public of the Dangerous Side Effects | 7/14/2017
- Tasigna Anti Cancer Drug Lawsuit | 7/7/2017
- Tasigna Drug Warning for Peripheral Arterial Disease | 6/30/2017
- Tasigna Cancer Treatment Drug Lawsuit | 6/26/2017
- Novartis International AG Lawsuits | 6/23/2017
- Lawsuits Against Novartis International AG Makers of Tasigna | 6/21/2017
- Tasigna Peripheral Artery Disease Warning | 6/19/2017
- Tasigna Lawsuits Against Drug Makers Novartis | 6/16/2017
- Atherosclerosis of the Aorta Linked to Tasigna Anti-Cancer Drug | 6/12/2017
- Makers of Tasigna Leukemia Drug Lawsuit | 6/9/2017
- Tasigna a Cancer Drug Treatment | 6/5/2017
- Tasigna Peripheral Arterial Disease | 6/1/2017
Lawyers for Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuits
Attorneys handling Tasigna lawsuits for leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma offer free, no-obligation case review for individuals and families who believe they may have grounds to file a Tasigna lawsuit. Working on a contingency basis, these attorneys are committed to never charging legal fees unless they win compensation in your Tasigna lawsuit. The product liability litigators handling Roundup claims at the Onder Law Firm have a strong track record of success in representing families harmed by dangerous drugs and consumer products.