Big Money Friday – Over 100 Million Dollars

It’s been a while since I’ve written an installment of Big Money Friday.  Today there are two huge settlements coming out of the Department of Justice to bring to your attention.

As reported in the Department of Justice’s favorable press releases -- though with an $81 million and a $22 million settlement, it’s tough not to be favorable.

American pharmaceutical manufacturers Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC and Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., both subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson, have agreed to pay more than $81 million to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal promotion of the epilepsy drug Topamax, the Justice Department announced today.

See the full release here

Schwarz Pharma Inc. will pay $22 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that the company failed to advise the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that two unapproved products did not qualify for coverage under federal health care programs, the Justice Department announced today. Schwarz, now a subsidiary of Belgium-based UCB S.A., is alleged to have submitted false quarterly reports to the government related to a pair of drugs, Deponit and Hyoscyamine Sulfate Extended Release (Hyoscyamine Sulfate ER).

See the full release here.