Novartis to Plead Guilty to Criminal Fraud Charges
The swiss drug manufacturer said it will plead guilty to criminal fraud charges arising out of its alleged off-label marketing of its epilepsy drug, Trileptal. In addition, Novartis will pay a $185 million dollar fine.
Novartis is also being investigated for kick backs and off-label marketing of other drugs, such as Diovan, Exforge, Sandostatin, Tekturna and Zelnorm. Novartis has reportedly increased its litigation budget by almost $ 80 million.
Off-label marketing is the promotion of a drug for a purpose other than approved by the FDA.