Novartis Dodges Whistleblower Lawsuit Regarding Multiple Sclerosis Drug Kickback Claims

A federal judge dismissed a whistleblower lawsuit accusing Novartis AG NVS of paying doctors kickbacks at "sham" speaker programs to boost prescriptions of its multiple sclerosis blockbuster drug Gilenya.
U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood dismissed the whistleblower lawsuit, arguing that former Novartis sales representative Steven Camburn did not provide enough detail to support his claims.
Camburn's lawyer says he and his client plan to appeal the decision, adding that they're confident the ruling will be reversed, Reuters reports.
Gilenya was the company's third-best-selling drug in 2021, bringing in $2.8 billion worldwide out of $51.6 billion in total sales.
Camburn sued Novartis in 2013 under the False Claims Act, claiming that Novartis paid doctors up to $3,500 to participate as speakers in purportedly educational speaker events to induce them to prescribe and promote Gilenya.
Novartis, in 2020, agreed to pay $729 million to settle similar whistleblower claims related to its speaker program and its diabetes and cardiovascular drugs.
Price Action: NVS shares are down 1.55% at $80.68 on the last check Wednesday.
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