Report: Drug companies biggest defrauders of government

[Joanne98]

Pharmaceutical companies were responsible for 25 percent of fines paid to the government under the False Claims Act over the past decade, according to a new study by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.

That's twice as much as the perennial top culprits, defense contractors, who only paid out 11 percent of claims.

The study found that four companies — GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Eli Lilly & Co. and Schering-Plough — accounted for more than half of all financial penalties over the past two decades, paying $10.5 billion in fines collectively.

The study also found that alleged violations of state and federal laws by drug makers have been increasing at an "alarming rate": Of the 165 pharmaceutical industry settlements comprising $19.8 billion in penalties during the past 20 years, 73 percent of the settlements (121) and 75 percent of the dollar amount ($14.8 billion) have occurred during the past five years.

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/corporate-news/134031-report-drug-companies-biggest-defrauders-of-government

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Joanne.

[defendandprotect]

2. Right ... and Sen. Bernie Sanders has been talking about this for more than a year ....

to my knowledge --