Class Status Upheld in Takeda, Eli Lilly RICO Suit Over Actos

A third-party health insurance payer can proceed as a class in a racketeering lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. and Eli Lilly & Co., a federal appeals panel ruled Monday.

The lower court properly ruled the payer satisfied key requirements of class certification and didn’t abuse its discretion, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said in an unpublished memorandum. The appellate court affirmed class certification in the suit alleging the drug companies refused to change the warning label on Actos—intended to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetics—after learning it increased the risk of developing bladder ...