BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Sanofi neurology, other news

December 24, 2012 8:00 AM UTC

Sanofi's Sanofi U.S. Services Inc. and sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC companies will pay $109 million to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, the U.S. Department of Justice and multiple states to resolve a 2010 False Claims Act suit. The suit alleged that during 2005-09 the companies used "free samples" of osteoarthritis drug Hyalgan sodium hyaluronate to improperly induce physicians to buy the product and unlawfully bill Medicare and Medicaid. Sanofi U.S., which said there are no criminal charges as part of the settlement, is expected to enter a Corporate Integrity Agreement with HHS's Office of the Inspector General. The natural hyaluronan injection is approved to treat pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA). Last year, Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A. (Abano Terme, Italy) said it became responsible for distribution and commercialization of Hyalgan after Sanofi returned its U.S. commercialization rights. Fidia could not be reached for details (see BioCentury, Nov. 14, 2011). ...