Another bribery case may near an end

On Monday, Novartis representatives are due in court in Lower Manhattan to face federal charges that the company offered doctors lavish meals and fishing trips, among other perks, to boost prescriptions of several medicines. But, as STAT’s Ed Silverman reports, a settlement might be on the horizon.

Sources indicate the company may agree to pay close to $1 billion to resolve the case, though talks could still fall apart.

The case comes just weeks after five executives from Insys Pharmaceuticals were convicted of running a bribery scheme involving doctors. While Insys was charged with breaking the law to promote its opioid painkiller, Novartis’s alleged bribery is tied to blood-pressure drugs. And while the scope of Novartis’s alleged scheme is broader, there is no national crisis related to cardiovascular medicine.

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