Thursday, October 30, 2008

Jury in State of Missouri Drug-Pricing Fraud Case Finds Schering/Warrick Liable


CafePharma showed an anonymous post earlier today on this — but (thus far) I have been unable to confirm the amount of the jury verdict -- now Ed Silverman, at Pharmalot, and Schering, itself, have both confirmed the entry of a verdict against Schering -- but not the amount.

FYI, the linked CafePharma poster puts the verdict for fraud at $7 million — but the penalty phase is still being deliberated — and might thus be a much larger multiple of this $7 million number. We’ll see.

Perhaps not entirely-coincidentally, Schering has reportedly now blocked all work computer based internet access to CafePharma’s website, using the standard corporate WebSense filter. Classy. Looks like the same anonymous source as the verdit, too.

Finally -- as Ed cogently notes -- Schering's presser neglected to mention its loss in Texas, on these topics -- choosing to highlight only its victories. Again, classy. And, wild -- in its transparent, unvarnished desperation:

. . . .Schering-Plough failed to note in its statement that a $27 million fine was paid to Texas to settle charges that the drugmaker falsely reported wholesale drug prices to the state and federal Medicaid programs. . . .

Oddly, just now, at 5:25 pm EDT, NASDAQ afterhours trading posted a 29,929 share trade a full half-dollar below the last, at $ 13.46. Ouch. Is there more bad news to come, out of Missouri tonight?

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