A
whistleblower lawsuit has been filed against
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. by a former employer who claims the company intentionally concealed information regarding unsafe drug interactions for three of its medications that treat gout and heartburn.
According to
Law 360 (subscription required), Dr. Helen Ge filed the whistleblower lawsuit against Takeda after learning during her time as a contractor for the company that it was aware of
life-threatening drug interactions that could occur with its
Uloric,
Dexilant, and
Prevacid drugs and other commonly used medications, but did not report the findings to the Food and Drug Administration.
As a result, Medicare programs across the country were forced to pay for many more Uloric, Dexilant and Prevacid claims than they would have if the company had revealed more accurate safety information. Patients were also put in danger and given medications that could have resulted in a life-threatening drug interaction because the company did not properly release its data.
“Millions of patients are placed at risk and harmed as a result of this misleading conduct as doctors prescribe these drugs oblivious to the dangerous interactions they have with drugs their patients are already taking,” the amended complaint said.
The whistleblower lawsuit is seeking three times the amount of actual damages that the federal government, and any states that were involved, incurred. It also seeks civil penalties for each false claim that
Takeda made.
If you are aware of fraudulent activity that has been conducted at the expense of the government, contact Sokolove Law today for a confidential legal consultation to discuss the possibility of pursuing a whistleblower lawsuit.