BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Today, U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona announced that the United States has filed suit against Dr. Charles T. Nevels, a psychiatrist who has worked in several nursing homes in Alabama. The complaint alleges that Dr. Nevels caused the submission to Medicare and Medicaid of false and fraudulent claims for the prescription drug Nuedexta, which is indicated only for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect (PBA), a condition characterized by involuntary laughing or crying. Nuedexta has not been shown to be safe and effective in non-PBA types of emotional lability that can commonly occur, for example, in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia.
The complaint alleges that from 2015 through 2019, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Nuedexta paid Dr. Nevels more than $400,000 to make speeches, but the speeches had few attendees, little value, and were intended to compensate Dr. Nevels for prescribing Nuedexta. For instance, in November 2016the pharmaceutical company paid Dr. Nevels a $2,000 speaker fee to give a presentation in Decatur, Alabama, that the company’s records show had no attendees.
“The Department of Justice will fight to protect nursing home residents, including by ensuring that prescribing decisions affecting them are free from undue influence, and the medications they receive are medically appropriate for...
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