With the two-year mark of the Biden presidency looming, the administration's approach to prosecuting and investigating entities and individuals in the life sciences industry has begun to present itself with greater clarity. The administration has relied more heavily upon certain civil actions and less heavily upon others as compared to its predecessor. And while prosecution figures have remained steady, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has, like other federal agencies, tailored its enforcement efforts to combatting COVID-19-related fraud while, at the same time, continuing its focus on healthcare fraud of all forms.
The early years of the administration have been marked by a significant uptick in settlements and judgments obtained by the DOJ under the False Claims Act. In February 2022, the DOJ announced that it obtained $5.6 billion in settlements and judgments for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, the largest total since 2014 and a more than two-fold increase over the year prior.1 Of the $5.6 billion in federal losses recovered, more than $5 billion was related to the healthcare industry.2 In announcing the FCA figures, the DOJ made clear that it was "instrumental" in recovering amounts fraudulently or falsely obtained from state Medicaid programs, which were not included in the $5.6 billion total.3
While FCA settlements and judgments have surged, the last two years have been marked by a decline in the...
Dish Wireless LLC agreed to pay roughly $17 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, common law, and the Communications Act of 1934 relating to claims submitted to Fed...