Omnicare to shell out another $28M on kickback litigation

Omnicare will pay more than $28 million to resolve allegations that the drug distributor accepted kickbacks for pushing an anti-seizure medication on doctors treating nursing home patients.

The Department of Justice said Monday that the deal resolves claims that Omnicare sought and received the kickbacks from drugmaker Abbott Laboratories several years ago for sales of the drug Depakote. Omnicare runs the nation’s largest nursing home pharmacy and was purchased last year by drugstore giant CVS Health Corp.

The DOJ says the kickbacks undermined the role of medical personnel in putting the health of patients first and protecting them from unnecessary drug use.

The kickbacks were disguised in a variety of ways, according to federal officials, including as payments from Abbott that were described as “grants” and “educational funding.”

CVS Health spokesman Mike DeAngelis said in an email that all the allegations occurred before his company bought Omnicare. He added that CVS Health agreed to settle the case to avoid the expense and uncertainty that comes with a lengthy legal battle.

An Abbott representative said the drugmaker resolved its case with the DOJ in 2012.

That year, Abbott agreed to pay the government a $700 million criminal fine and forfeiture for promoting Depakote, approved for bipolar disorder and epilepsy, for use in patients with dementia and autism. That was on top of civil settlements with numerous states and the federal government totaling $800 million.