Grassley works to empower whistleblowers, protect tax dollars
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: Reporters and Editors
FR: Jill Kozeny, 202-224-1308
for Senator Chuck Grassley
RE: whistleblower protections for drug company employees
DA: July 1, 2010
Senator Chuck Grassley has sent letters to 16 pharmaceutical companies about the False Claims Act, which offers whistleblower protections to private-sector employees who identify fraud against the taxpayers.
Grassley said, “The False Claims Act is a proven success in both identifying and deterring fraud and recovering fraudulently obtained taxpayer dollars. The more that can be done to create awareness of it, the more good it can do. My appeal to drug makers is based on the fact that they have a public responsibility to safeguard the tax dollars that pay for their products, and promoting a culture where those who speak up about possible fraud are rewarded rather than retaliated against is one way to fulfill that responsibility. In the last three years, Pharmaceutical companies have paid out over $3 billion in settlements under the False Claims Act for defrauding federal health care programs. There can never be too many taxpayer watchdogs, so I see this letter as an opportunity to foster a mindset that recognizes the value of whistleblowers and the duty these companies have to act honestly when seeking taxpayer dollars.”
Recent False Claims Act settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers include:
Astra Zeneca -- $520 million -- April 2010
Pfizer -- $2.3 billion ($1 billion under FCA, $1.3 billion criminal) -- September 2009
Eli Lily -- $1.4 billion -- January 2009
Bristol Myers Squibb -- $515 million -- 2007
Below are links to the letters sent by Grassley to:
Grassley co-authored the 1986 updates to the False Claims Act, which breathed new life into what is known as Abe Lincoln’s Law by empowering qui tam relators to act as private attorneys general and file suit against those who defraud the federal government. President Lincoln sought the False Claims Act during the Civil War in response to war profiteering that defrauded U.S. taxpayers. Since the modern-day changes made by Grassley’s amendments in 1986, the law has recovered more than $22 billion that would otherwise have been lost to fraud. It has become the government’s most effective weapon against fraud, including health care fraud.
Next Article Previous Article
Recent News
- Wyden Statement on Nursing Home Staffing and Medicaid Rules
- Wyden Statement on Final HHS Rule to Strengthen Reproductive Health Care Privacy
- Wyden Hearing Statement at Trade Agenda Hearing
- Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Hearing on IRS Direct File and Continued Improvements to Customer Service
- State Attorneys General Misused Medicaid Authority to Persecute Teens Seeking Gender Affirming Care, Finance Inquiry Finds; Politicized Requests for Patient Information Caused Spike in Teen Crisis Mental Health Calls
