The government recouped a staggering $4 billion in fiscal 2010 that was stolen from federal health care programs, the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced Monday -- the highest annual amount ever. More than half of the fraud money recovered came from drug companies.
An FDA panel of reviewers recommended that the administration expand approval for Allergan's Lap-Band, a weight-loss implant that currently is only available for the very obese, to those who are less obese.
Allergan's Lap-Band, a device implanted in the stomach to limit the amount of food that can be ingested, is already on the market to help the very obese lose weight. But now the company hopes to win approval for less obese patients to use the band.
A judge has finalized Allergan's $600 million settlement over the misleading marketing of its wrinkle-smoothing Botox medication. The pharmaceutical firm plead guilty to misbranding the product.
You know better than to believe everything companies say in ads, but when it comes to claims about the healthfulness of foods and other products, the untruths can reach outrageous levels. The question is: What can a government limited by the First Amendment do to stop them?
Pharmaceutical firm Allergan has settled criminal and civil charges that it promoted Botox for uses the FDA hadn't approved, agreeing to pay $600 million and enter into a "corporate integrity agreement." Allergan also dropped its related First Amendment lawsuit against the FDA.
Pharmaceutical firm Sanofi-Aventis is preparing a major acquisition in the U.S. worth $20 billion or more, according to Bloomberg, which cited five people with knowledge of the situation.
