J&J fraudulent tactics to sell Risperdal...

強生公司將計入6億美元訴訟相關支出   2012年 06月 09日 10:31  強生公司(Johnson & Johnson ,JNJ)稱﹐計劃在第二財政季度計入約6億美元特殊支出以應對可能的訴訟和解。目前﹐該公司面臨一系列有關行賄和不當藥物營銷活動的訴訟。該公司稱﹐上述支出可能用於一系列民事訴訟案和解費用﹐其中包括與其藥品Risperdal、Invega和Natrecor相關的案件﹐以及與Omnicare Inc. (OCR)相關的訴訟案。

J&J plans $600 mln charge related to Risperdal sales  Fri, Jun 8 2012  Thu, May 31 2012  By Ransdell Pierson Fri Jun 8, 2012 7:12pm EDT (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson said on Friday it expects to take a special charge of about $600 million in the second quarter to bolster reserves for a potential settlement of civil lawsuits related to how it marketed schizophrenia treatment Risperdal and other drugs. The hefty charge would also fund potential settlements for litigation involving marketing of Invega, another J&J schizophrenia treatment, as well as Natrecor, a medicine for congestive heart failure. The money being set aside would also help cover potential settlements involving Omnicare Inc, a pharmacy operator that provides medicines to patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Federal investigators have alleged J&J made illegal payments to Omnicare to purchase and recommend Risperdal for its patients. J&J is facing a number of lawsuits from states that allege it improperly marketed Risperdal for patients and conditions for which it was not approved by U.S. regulators - including elderly residents of nursing homes. The diversified healthcare company declined to provide further comment about the planned charge, the latest in big set-asides for Risperdal litigation. J&J in January took a fourth-quarter charge of $3.3 billion, which it said was largely related to ongoing Risperdal lawsuits and investigations. The U.S. Department of Justice for years has been investigating allegations that J&J marketed the one-time blockbuster medicine for unapproved uses. Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., earlier this year nixed a tentative $1 billion settlement with J&J, holding out for a bigger settlement with the drugmaker, according to published reports. An Arkansas state judge in April ordered J&J to pay a $1.1 billion penalty after a jury found the company guilty of using fraudulent tactics to sell Risperdal. Arkansas alleges J&J deceived thousands of doctors in the state by touting the drug as better and safer than rival therapies and marketing it for unapproved uses in children and the elderly. In January, J&J agreed to pay $158 million to settle a Texas lawsuit that alleged improper marketing of Risperdal to state residents on the Medicaid health program for the poor, including children and adolescents.