Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Paralegal Accuses Drugmaker Of Firing Her For Protesting Alleged Kickback Scheme
A paralegal recently fired by French drugmaker Sanofi has filed a whistleblower lawsuit, claiming she was discharged after protesting an alleged kickback scheme to increase U.S. sales of its insulin medicines. The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey Superior Court in Newark by Diane Ponte, accuses Sanofi SA, recently ousted CEO Christopher Viehbacher and more than 10 other executives of paying consultants millions to induce pharmacists to fill prescriptions for generic insulin with Sanofi鈥檚 brand-name versions, rather than those of rival Novo Nordisk A/S. (Johnson, 12/5)
A small Iowa health insurance company says the state's dominant carrier illegally threatened to terminate the contract of a prominent insurance agent if he served on the smaller company's board. The large carrier, Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield, denies wrongdoing. The allegations are contained in a complaint the smaller company, CoOportunity Health, filed last week with the Iowa Insurance Division. CoOportunity accuses Wellmark of "brazenly violating" state laws against anti-competitive behavior. (Leys, 12/7)
Meanwhile, The New York Times explores how one drug company marketed a very expensive drug --
When the drug maker Genentech introduced a major product in 2006, it found itself in an awkward position: persuading eye doctors to start using its new more expensive drug instead of a popular cheaper version that the company already sold. (Thomas and Abrams, 12/7)
