AbbVie Beats Investor Class Suit Claiming Humira Kickbacks (2)

AbbVie Inc. defeated class action claims it misled investors about the role an alleged kickback scheme played in the success of its blockbuster arthritis drug Humira, a federal judge ruled.

The investors failed to show that AbbVie violated anti-kickback rules or its own ethics programs through two Humira support programs, Judge John J. Tharp Jr. said, granting the biopharmaceutical company’s motion for summary judgment.

The US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois judge said Thursday that the marketing programs’ lawfulness undercuts any basis for a potential reasonable jury to find AbbVie’s ethics code certifying compliance efforts or statements ...