[ad_1]
-
FILE – This January 24, 2015, archive photo, shows the AbbVie exterior, at Lake Bluff, in Illinois. California has filed a lawsuit accusing pharmaceutical giant AbbVie of illegally practicing the world's best-selling doctors, gifts and drug services. The complaint, filed on Tuesday, September 18, 2018, indicates that bribes have caused doctors to write unnecessary prescriptions for Humira despite its potentially life-threatening side effects. LessFILE – This January 24, 2015, photo archive, shows the AbbVie exterior, at Lake Bluff, in Illinois. California has filed a lawsuit accusing pharmaceutical giant AbbVie of charging for …
Photo: Nam Y. Huh, AP
Photo: Nam Y. Huh, AP
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Drug giant AbbVie has illegally hired doctors, gifts and services to prescribe one of the world's best-selling drugs, Humira, despite life-threatening complications.
The lawsuit filed by the state's insurance commissioner accuses the company of a large bribe program that has led physicians to write more prescriptions for the drug, tainting their relationship with patients and causing higher insurance costs.
Humira is a widely advertised injectable medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. It is accompanied by a warning for cancer and serious infections that can become life threatening. According to the lawsuit, sales exceeded $ 12 billion in 2017.
California's insurance commissioner, Dave Jones, said insurance companies have paid more than $ 1.2 billion for Humira for California between 2013 and August 2018. This figure makes the lawsuit the most important in the history of the insurance department.
AbbVie, who faces multi-billion dollar fines, said the allegations were "baseless".
"AbbVie operates in compliance with the many federal and state laws that govern interactions with healthcare providers and patients," the company's statement said.
The bribe system "forced patients to use the drug, being denied any information they would need to determine whether to use the drug and significant additional payments for the drug," Jones said. said in a phone interview.
According to the lawsuit, AbbVie paid doctors for meals, drinks and trips to make them write more prescriptions for Humira. The lawsuit also included nurses that the company sent home to patients taking the drug, according to the lawsuit.
Nurses saved doctors money by processing documents and other tasks normally performed by doctors' offices. They also downplayed the risks of Humira when patients expressed their concerns, according to the lawsuit.
"If one has the choice between two drugs, one with nurses and administrative staff free and another that requires the provider to pay professional wages, the provider can only contribute to the substantial decline in nursing in their calculation, "says the trial.
AbbVie stated that the nursing support and other support services that it provides allow patients to follow their therapy and "do not replace or interfere in any way with the interactions between patients and patients. their health care providers. "
The state lawsuit is based on allegations of a registered nurse who worked for AbbVie. The nurse is also a party to the lawsuit.
Source link
