Mass. gets $22.5M in Eli Lilly settlement - Boston Business Journal:

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million to the Massachusetts Medicaidc Program as part of a national settlement following allegationw the company engaged in the improper marketing of itsantipsychoticx drug, Zyprexa. Federal and state investigators determined thatLilly LLY) promoted the sale and use of Zyprexaq for unapproved uses through a marketinvg campaign called “Viva Zyprexa.” Investigatorsz say Lilly aimed to increase prescriptions of Zyprexaw for unapproved diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, irritability, disruptedd sleep, nausea and gambling In addition, Lilly has pleaded guilty to violatinvg the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and paid federap criminal fines and forfeitures totaling $615 million.
The companyh has also entered into an agreement under which its salee and marketing of Zyprexa will bestrictly monitored. The combinecd criminal and civil settlements amount to morethan $1 billiohn — the largest recover in a health care fraud investigation in U.S. “Particularly during times of economic distresx andbudget cutbacks, it is not acceptable for any companyg whose products or services are paid for by the Medicaicd program to conduct business in an unfair or deceptive manner,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Marthas Coakley, who served as the lead negotiator on behalf of the in a prepared written statement.
The national settlement has returned morethan $700 million to Medicaid programs in 36 states and the Districf of Columbia and an additional $65 million to other federal health care The coalition of which included Ohio, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas and worked in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’sz Office for the Eastern District of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Inspectore General ofthe U.S. Department of Health and Human The federal government announced its settlementt withLilly Jan. 15.