Lilly used nursing services as kickbacks to boost insulin prescriptions, lawsuit claims

Fierce Pharma ---------- After Novo Nordisk settled a lawsuit alleging it marketed certain drugs under a "white coat" sales scheme, fellow diabetes drug giant Eli Lilly is facing similar claims of illicit marketing. A recently unsealed lawsuit claims the company ran a "multi-tiered kickback scheme" to pump up sales of key blockbusters. The lawsuit, filed in June and unsealed late last month, alleges Eli Lilly worked with Healthstar Communications and VMS Biomarketing to provide free nursing services to induce doctors to prescribe Lilly diabetes meds Humalog and Humulin, plus osteoporosis drug Forteo. The lawsuit also targets Covance and an Express Scripts unit, saying the two companies pitched into the setup by helping prescribers attain reimbursement. To learn more click on the picture below to read the article.