Pharmaceutical Fraud Recovery
Dava Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to pay $11 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by misreporting drug prices in order to reduce its Medicaid Drug Rebate obligations.
The settlement resolves allegations that between Oct. 1, 2005 and Sept. 30, 2009, Dava and its corporate predecessors knowingly underpaid their rebate obligations under the Medicaid Prescription Drug Rebate Program. Under that program, participating drug companies are required to pay quarterly rebates to state Medicaid programs based, in part, on whether a drug is a “generic” or “branded” product and the difference between what the health care program paid for the drug and prices paid by other purchasers.
In order to reduce its Medicaid rebate obligation, Dava incorrectly treated its version of the drugs cefdinir, clarithromycin and methotrexate as “generic” drugs rather than “branded” products, thereby lowering the overall percentage rebate payable to Medicaid. In addition, Dava further reduced its Medicaid rebate obligations by incorrectly calculating average manufacturer prices for its versions of the drugs cefdinir, clarithromycin, methotrexate and rheumatrex. As a result, Dava underpaid drug rebates to the Medicaid program and overcharged certain public health service entities for these products.
