WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the national law firm of Baron & Budd announced its involvement in a $600 million settlement related to criminal and civil charges brought against Indivior Inc. (formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc.). As part of this global resolution, Baron & Budd (working with the Department of Justice) obtained a $300 million settlement in the civil case related to a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit it filed against Indivior. This $300 million settlement comes after Baron & Budd attorneys announced a $1.4 billion settlement against Reckitt Benckiser Group last year. Baron & Budd represents one of the six whistleblowers who filed FCA cases against Indivior Inc. (formerly RBG).
The lawsuits contend that Indivior knowingly promoted the sale and use of Suboxone, a medication approved to suppress opioid withdrawal symptoms, to physicians who were writing prescriptions that did not have a legitimate medical purpose. The lawsuit also contended that Indivior falsely promoted Suboxone Film as less subject to abuse and that Indivior submitted a false petition to the Food and Drug Administration claiming the Suboxone Tablet was discontinued over safety concerns in order to delay the entry of generic competition of Suboxone.
The U.S. Department of Justice also announced earlier today that it reached an FTC settlement and a criminal settlement with Indivior to resolve allegations that it engaged in an illegal scheme to boost prescriptions of its opioid treatment medication, Suboxone. Indivior submitted a guilty plea and admitted to making false statements to promote Suboxone Film.
“These criminal and civil settlements are important in the ongoing fight against opioid manufacturers and holding them accountable for their negligent, irresponsible practices that have created a nationwide health crisis,” said Baron & Budd Shareholder, Scott Simmer. “Drug companies that engage in deceptive practices, not only defraud the government and taxpayers, but they put the lives of many Americans in danger. This case is a strong example to opioid manufacturers that putting profits over the safety of patients is not acceptable and will not go without punishment.”
In addition to Simmer and the other counsel representing the whistleblowers, the United States team was led by Assistant Director Ed Crooke in the Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice; Craig Carpenito, United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey; and Daniel P. Bubar, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.
ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.
Baron & Budd, P.C. is among the largest and most accomplished plaintiffs’ law firms in the country. With more than 40 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of entities and thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse and significant as dangerous and highly addictive pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, California wildfires and environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, e-cigarettes, motor vehicles, federal whistleblower cases, and other consumer fraud issues.
