J&J charged for marketing unsafe drugs

Global health-care giant Johnson & Johnson will pay more than US$2.2 billion to settle allegations that it misrepresented its drugs and used kickbacks to promote sales, said the Justice Department yesterday.J&J allegedly promoted Risperdal, Invega and Natrecor which were not deemed to be safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also included in the settlement were the kickbacks that J&J allegedly paid to physicians and pharmacies to promote and prescribe these drugs.Reported on AFP, J&J is to pay US$485 million in criminal fines and forfeiture and a total of US$1.72 billion in civil settlements with the federal government and states.According to AFP, Attorney General Eric Holder said: "This global settlement resolves multiple investigations involving the antipsychotic drugs Risperdal and Invega - as well as the heart drug Natrecor and other Johnson & Johnson products.”“This multibillion-dollar resolution demonstrates the Justice Department’s firm commitment to preventing and combating all forms of health care fraud,” Holder said.Meanwhile, Associate Attorney General Tony West told North Dallas Gazette: “When companies put profit over patients’ health and misuse taxpayer dollars, we demand accountability. In addition to significant monetary sanctions, we will ensure that non-monetary measures are in place to facilitate change in corporate behavior and help ensure the playing field is level for all market participants.”Meanwhile, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson will pay US$400 million, including a criminal fine of US$334 million and forfeiture of US$66 million.Filing a separate civil complaint, the government also accused J&J and Janssen of promoting drugs to doctors and those in nursing homes as a mean to control disturbances in behavior of elderly dementia patients, the mentally disabled and also children.On their corporate site, Michael Ullmann, vice president and general counsel, Johnson & Johnson said: “Today we reached closure on complex legal matters spanning almost a decade.  This resolution allows us to move forward and continue to focus on delivering innovative solutions that improve and enhance the health and well-being of patients around the world.""We remain committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and others to ensure greater clarity around the guidance for pharmaceutical industry practices and standards."