Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Sao Paulo offices were raided by Brazilian authorities Monday as part of an investigation into the drugmaker’s sales practices, according to the country’s national police.
Brazil’s police are investigating whether Alexion, with help from a local patient association, subsidized lawsuits for patients to get access to the company’s lead drug Soliris through the national health system, according to a request for a search warrant reviewed by Bloomberg. Law enforcement officials have found evidence that some of the lawsuits were fraudulent, according to the request, and used alleged fake diagnoses and a partnership between Alexion and the association to attract potential patients.
