Menstuff® has compiled the following information on the cancer drug Lupron.
As you're probably aware, CALPIRG has been fighting questionable drug industry marketing practices that unnecessarily drive up the cost of medicine. This week, I'm happy to tell you about a legal settlement that gets at the heart of those practices and could mean financial compensation for you or someone you know.
If you've taken Lupron (a treatment for prostate cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and other health conditions), you may be eligible to collect money from a class action settlement. The class action lawsuit was filed by consumers who believe that Lupron was fraudulently marketed, sold and distributed. As a result of this fraud, consumers were forced to overpay for the drug. If you took Lupron between January 1, 1985 and March 31, 2005, you most likely are eligible for a payment from the Class Action Settlement fund. The minimum payout for those who qualify is $100. For more information about the case and to claim your refund, go to www.lupronclaims.com or call toll-free 866.410.7650.
Background
In recent years, the price of prescription medication has soared. Prices have gotten out of control in part because drug companies aggressively market their big name, latest, and most expensive drugs. Aggressive marketing, while oftentimes perfectly legal, can cause prices to soar. As you may remember, last year CALPIRG passed legislation to reign in one of the drug industry's most dubious marketing ploys, the buying of gifts and fancy meals for doctors.
Sometimes, drug makers cross the line into illegal or fraudulent behavior.
In such instances, citizen suits and class action lawsuits have been used to effectively halt illegal behavior and reimburse consumers who were cheated. CalPIRG has worked with Prescription Access Litigation (PAL) and Congress of California Seniors to bring two such suits in California.
The Lupron case was not a CalPIRG case, but it is one that we want to make our members aware of. The litigation is about whether people or entities were unlawfully overcharged and defrauded by the makers of Lupron, TAP Pharmaceuticals. The case does not involve the safety or effectiveness of Lupron. The lawsuit was based on evidence that there was a fraudulent scheme by the TAP Pharmaceuticals regarding the marketing, sale and distribution of Lupron, and that the scheme caused people to overpay. The alleged scheme involved: 1) artificially inflating the average wholesale price ("AWP") so that doctors could charge more for Lupron; 2) giving free samples to doctors knowing they would charge patients and insurers for them; and 3) giving valuable gifts to doctors as incentives to prescribe Lupron instead of other less costly alternatives.
If you've taken Lupron between January 1, 1985 and March 31, 2005,
you are likely to be eligible for a payment from the Class Action
Settlement fund. For more information about the case and to claim
your refund, go to www.lupronclaims.com
or call toll-free 866.410.7650. Feel free to share this e-mail with
your family and friends.
Source: Steve Blackledge, CALPIRG Legislative
Director, SteveB@calpirg.org
or www.CALPIRG.org 
 |
 |
 |