This isn't chump change. According to a suit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, generic drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim Roxane may have bilked the federal government of $500 million in fraudulent and inflated charges for its products. The DoJ says that BIR reported puffed up prices for several of its products, billed CMS for the higher price, then let hospitals and healthcare providers keep the difference in price. The difference was as much as 1,000 percent at times, the DoJ says. The suit, which alleges violations of the federal False Claims Act, was brought by an unnamed whistle-blower and filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. What I'd like to know is how many hospitals and providers may have agreed to take part in the fun and games. Look for the roll of shame to be published shortly.
For more information on the suit:
- check out the DoJ's press release on the suit
- read this United Press International piece