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California Insurance Commission claims AbbVie bribed
physicians in $1.2B kickback scheme — 6 insights
By Eric Oliver
T
he California Insurance Commission
is suing AbbVie, saying the drug-
maker allegedly offered physicians
kickbacks for its popular, gastroenterology
drug Humira, which resulted in $1.2 bil-
lion in fraudulent claims, the San Francisco
Chronicle reported.
Here's what you should know:
1. Humira treats Crohn's disease and ulcer-
ative colitis as well arthritis.
2. e state alleged AbbVie illegally offered
physicians cash, meals, trips, drinks and
patient referrals to ensure they prescribed
Humira.
3. e state also alleged AbbVie sent
registered nurses to the homes of patients
prescribed Humira to serve as "Humira
ambassadors." e nurses allegedly helped
with patient care, and were instructed by Ab-
bVie to not communicate patient concerns
to physicians.
4. AbbVie told the Chronicle the allegations
were meritless.
5. "AbbVie operates in compliance with the
many state and federal laws that govern
interactions with healthcare providers and
patients," the company said in a statement to
the Chronicle. "AbbVie provides a number of
support services for patients, once they are
prescribed Humira, that both educate and
assist patients with their therapy, including
nursing support, and these resources are
beneficial to patients dealing with a chronic
condition. ey in no way replace or inter-
fere with interactions between patients and
their healthcare providers."
6. e state is seeking up to $6.3 billion
in penalties and injunctive relief against
AbbVie and is also seeking a court order to
prevent more alleged kickbacks.
Note: An AbbVie representative did not
respond to Becker's ASC Review before publi-
cation. n
Takeda closing US headquarters,
1K workers potentially affected
— 6 insights
By Eric Oliver
T
akeda will close its U.S. headquarters in Deerfield,
Ill., and move to Boston, the Chicago Tribune
reported.
Here's what you should know:
1. The company plans to offer some of the Deerfield
employees jobs in Boston, a Takeda spokesperson said in
a statement to the Tribune.
2. Takeda plans to move the work being done at the com-
pany's Deerfield location to the greater Boston area if the
company's planned $64.2 billion acquisition of Shire is
completed.
3. Takeda could close the Shire deal in the first half of
2019.
4. Within the first six months of the deal's closure, Takeda
will notify employees if they've been laid off. Following
the completion of the deal, Takeda will lay off up to 7
percent of its global workforce.
5. Several Takeda shareholders have come out against the
Shire deal, including Kazu Takeda — a member of Takeda's
founding family.
6. Takeda had been consolidating services across the U.S.
to its Boston location for the past several years. Takeda
plans to keep its Washington, D.C., Brooklyn Park, Minn.
and San Diego locations active. n
Colorectal cancer 3rd most
common cancer, 2nd most deadly
— 6 new research insights
By Eric Oliver
T
he World Health Organization released new cancer
tracking numbers, finding colorectal cancer is the
third most common cancer in the world and the
second deadliest, CNN reported.
Here's what you should know:
1. WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer
reviewed cancer incidence data from 185 countries. In
2018, there were 18.1 million new cancer cases and 9.6
million deaths. WHO believes by the end of the century,
cancer will be the No. 1 killer globally.
2. WHO estimates 1 in 5 men and 1 in 6 women will
develop cancer in their lifetime. An estimated 1 in 8 men
and 1 in 11 women will die from the disease.
3. Cancer incidence rates continue to rise because of a
growing and aging population.
4. Asia leads in cancer cases and deaths, accounting for
about half of new cases and fatalities in the world. Europe
and the Americas also comprise a significant portion.
5. Lung cancer is the No. 1 most common cancer in the
world, followed by breast and colorectal cancer.
6. Lung cancer is also the most deadly. Combined, lung,
breast and colorectal cancer account for one-third of all
cancer deaths globally. n
