Massachusetts settles with medical device company for “off label” marketing
- August 31, 2010 by Qui Tam
- Healthcare, State False Claims Acts
The Massachusetts Attorney General settled claims of off label marketing with medical device maker, Stryker Biotech. The state claimed that Stryker violated state consumer protection laws by falsifying documents from Massachusetts hospitals’ Institutional Review Boards in order to obtain get approval for the use of its bone growth products. Thus, Stryker was alleged to have marketed products that the government had yet to approve. “Off label” marketing describes the illegal practice of marketing a product for a use that was not approved. Such “off-label” marketing is misleading to health care providers about the appropriate use of approved products. Stryker Biotech agreed to pay the state $1.35 million to settle the claims.
For more information see: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2010/08/23/daily27.html?ana=e_du_pub