AbbVie Board Faces New Investor Suit Over Humira Kickback Claims

An AbbVie Inc. investor filed suit in Delaware over claims that the pharmaceutical giant’s senior leaders exposed it to enormous potential liability through an illegal kickback scheme aimed at promoting its blockbuster biologic drug Humira.

The lawsuit, made public Tuesday, targets members of AbbVie’s board and management. It accuses them of violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute by providing “nurse ambassadors” free of charge to assist physicians who prescribed Humira, which is used to treat arthritis, psoriasis, and other autoimmune conditions.

By offering kickbacks in the form of “costly nursing-support services” only to doctors prescribing Humira, the company fraudulently influenced the ...