Abbott Sued for False Claims Related to its Blockbuster Drug TriCor

After recently being sanctioned hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties for its marketing of Depakote, Abbott faces allegations of similar deceptive marketing for TriCor.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company that has already pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1.5 billion to U.S. federal and state authorities after investigations into its illegal marketing and false claims regarding its marketing of prescription drugs, now faces a lawsuit for similar practices with an entirely different drug: TriCor.  TriCor is a fibrate that was approved by the FDA for use in certain circumstances with patients with elevated triglycerides or a particular type of cholesterol imbalance.  A former employee filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging Abbott marketed the drug to doctors in a deceptive manner – including through kickbacks, misleading and off-label marketing, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in inappropriate prescription costs paid by Medicare and Medicaid.  The lawsuit would seek to benefit the United States government to repay Medicare and Medicaid the prescription costs paid because of the deceptive marketing. Federal law also provides protection and compensation to employee whistleblowers who bring evidence like this to light. The lawsuit was filed by attorneys at Nicholson & Eastin, LLP and the Kelley/Uustal law firm.

The case is pending before the Honorable C. Darnell Jones, II, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under Case No. 09-4264

For more information, or a copy of the complaint, contact Robert Nicholson, at Nicholson & Easton, LLP, [email protected] or (954) 634-4400.

About Nicholson & Eastin, LLP

Robert N. Nicholson, founder of the Nicholson & Eastin firm, is a former federal prosecutor and a nationally recognized health care attorney who has extensive experience with health care fraud investigations and prosecutions.  The Nicholson & Eastin firm specializes in health care regulatory law.  For more information, visit www.NicholsonLawGroup.com.   

About Kelley / Uustal

Robert W. Kelley and John J. Uustal founded the Kelley / Uustal law firm.  Their team of seasoned trial attorneys has more than 50 years of combined courtroom experience and more than 100 jury trials.  The firm focuses its practice on securing compensation for clients who have been left physically or financially devastated by a catastrophic injury or event.  The attorneys have been instrumental in securing almost a billion dollars in jury awards and settlements for clients.  For more information, visit www.justiceforall.com.

SOURCE Kelley / Uustal