Pharma biggest source of DoJ False Claims Act recoveries

The US Department of Justice collected more than $2.2 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims against the government in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division announced yesterday.

Recoveries since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the civil False Claims Act, now total more than $64 billion.

Of the more than $2.2 billion in settlements and judgments recovered by the Department of Justice (DoJ) this past fiscal year, over $1.8 billion relates to matters that involved the health care industry, including drug and medical device manufacturers, managed care providers, hospitals, pharmacies, hospice organizations, laboratories, and physicians. The amounts included in the $1.8 billion reflect only federal losses, and, in many of these cases, the department was instrumental in recovering additional tens of millions of dollars for state Medicaid programs.