Gilead Must Face Whistleblower’s Hepatitis Drug Kickback Claims

Gilead Sciences Inc. must face claims that it violated the False Claims Act by establishing sham speaker programs to give meals and vacations to high-volume prescribers of drugs to treat hepatitis C, a Pennsylvania district court said.

Whistleblower Toby Travis, a former Gilead sales specialist, adequately alleged that the programs’ purpose was to induce prescriptions of Sovaldi and Harvoni, and that Gilead willfully induced prescriptions, Judge Cynthia M. Rufe of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said April 1.

Allegations that Gilead knew the programs would be poorly attended, but continued to increase the number of ...