Written By Faith Mwende
A federal judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit to pay $1.64 billion after a jury found it liable in a whistleblower lawsuit for illegally promoting the HIV drugs Prezista and Intelence.
U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi in Trenton, New Jersey, ruled that Janssen must pay $360 million for violating the federal False Claims Act, along with $1.28 billion in civil fines for 159,574 false claims submitted to government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
However, the judge dismissed a separate $30 million award for state law violations due to insufficient evidence.
The lawsuit, filed by former Janssen sales representatives Jessica Penelow and Christine Brancaccio, alleged that abel marketing but not for the alleged kickback scheme.
Johnson & Johnson has denied any wrongdoing and plans to appeal the decision, asserting that its drug promotion adhered to FDA guidelines. The case, which followed a six-week trial, underscores the serious consequences of violating federal healthcare fraud laws.
