The Swiss drugmaker’s Genentech unit has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a former sales manager, who alleged that the Rituxan immunosupressant was marketed off-label and that the promotional activities caused the federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, to inappropriately pay for the medication. Between 2000 and 2002, Genentech encouraged oncologists and other physicians to bill the healthcare programs for various off-label uses. In exchange for their cooperation, Genentech paid some of the doctors up to tens of thousands of dollars each to serve as speakers before other physicians about off-label usage, according to the lawsuit.
