Happy hour with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Tickets to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Golf outings. These were just some of the alleged perks lavished by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. as it bribed doctors to prescribe the pharmaceutical company’s drugs, according to a whistleblower lawsuit announced by California’s Commissioner of Insurance.
Commissioner Dave Jones said the suit was one of the largest health-fraud cases pursued by a California agency. The drugmaker allegedly provided illegal kickbacks to physicians to pump up its California drug sales.
The so-called qui tam lawsuit, which was unsealed last week, was filed by three former Bristol-Myers employees in 2007 in Superior Court in Los Angeles, according to Bloomberg. The lawsuit was taken over by the state’s insurance commissioner, who will share any recoveries with the employees. Bristol-Myers disputes the allegations and says the suit has no merit.
If you believe that you have suffered damages due to your actions in reporting corporate malfeasance or whistelblowing, you may want to contact an attorney to learn about your legal rights and see what types of legal action you may be able to pursue.
http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601202&sid=aUFQ4cYbMXhY