Novartis Billion-Dollar Fine for Fraudulent Marketing Tactics

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG was forced to pay the largest fine ever handed down under the US False Claims Act

Monday, July 2, 2018 - The False Claims Act encourages pharmaceutical company insiders to come forward and file a claim in conjunction with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) when a whistleblower uncovers wrongdoing.

Drugs dispensed at specialty pharmacies are so potent that their misuse or misrepresentation could cause patients serious injury and even death. For that reason, specialty pharmacists are held to the highest ethical standards as are the marketing reps of the companies that do business with them. When unscrupulous drug companies put profits before patient safety in the chemotherapy anti-cancer drug business, people die. To safeguard the public, government authorities are supposed to step in and punish the offenders. The US Department of Justice did just that and fined Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG $1 billion dollars for their gross misrepresentation of the anti-cancer drug Tasigna. According to Reuters, The company agreed to pay $390 million to settle U.S. charges that it paid specialty pharmacies, Accredo Health Group Inc, a unit of Medco Health Solutions and BioScrip Inc., "illegal kickbacks in exchange for inducing patients to refill certain medications." The US Department of Justice said that Novartis used "fraudulent, misleading and illegal marketing tactics," when their sales reps incentivized specialty pharmacists to refill existing Gleevec prescriptions with Tasigna without consent from oncologists or patients. In addition, Novartis executives knew of the toxicity of Tasigna and did nothing to warn consumers in the United States.

Regulators were alerted to the fraudulent and illegal marketing tactics that Novartis was committing by a company insider, whistleblower David Kester, a manager at Novartis. Kester filed a complaint against Novartis under the False Claims Act. As part of their settlement, Novartis admitted bribing specialty pharmacists to refill Gleevec prescriptions with Tasigna, hiding the drug's risk of patients developing atherosclerosis. Novartis held sales contests and rewarded the pharmacies that sold the most Tasigna with cash bonuses.

The purpose of the illegal Tasigna marketing campaign was to keep from losing the multi-million dollar per year business for Gleevec due to the drug going off patent. Novartis had calculated losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars should generic drug competition take sales from them. Tasigna was rushed to market without sufficient testing and marketed to specialty pharmacists to replace Gleevec before its patent expired. Novartis failed to warn patients that Tasigna causes necrosis of the feet, paralysis from massive strokes, and sudden death from heart attacks. Novartis settling with the DOJ for $390 million.

Atherosclerosis is the rapid narrowing of the blood's main passageways called arteries. The disease can be the cause of necrosis of the toes and feet and the only treatment is amputation. Chunks of plaque can break off and become lodged in narrower veins causing strokes and heart attacks Tasigna patient that develop atherosclerosis are advised to consult with an experienced Tasigna atherosclerosis attorney to file a claim and hold Novartis accountable for their fraud and deception.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-novartis-pharmacies-kickbacks-idUSKCN0T92MR20151120

https://www.fiercepharma.com/sales-and-marketing/novartis-braces-for-multibillion-dollar-generics-hit-as-gleevec-copies-launch

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
• 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
• Whistleblower Causes Public Alert to Tasigna Side Effects | 11/27/2017
• 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.