NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) — New York recently joined up to 47 states and the federal government in an agreement with Qualitest Pharmaceuticals Inc. over allegations of unlawful labeling practices, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced.
Owned by Endo Health Solutions, Qualitest manufactures generic pharmaceutical products. A whistleblower lawsuit was filed against the company, alleging Qualitest unlawfully labeled and marketed multivitamin tablets. The tablets allegedly were marketed as having the amount of fluoride recommended by the American Dental Association, but actually contained less than half the amount.
As part of the agreement, Qualitest will pay more than $5 million to resolve the claims portion relating to New York’s Medicaid program. Of that money, $2.8 million will go to New York and $2.2 million will go to the federal government.
“Companies have an obligation to accurately report the ingredients in the drugs they market,” Schneiderman said. “My office will continue to work to ensure that patients and health care providers can rely on drug labels being accurate.”
The state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit handled the case, collaborating closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.