A Spanish Whistle-Blower Appeals to the E.U. for Help

NEW YORK TIMES

Roberto Macías is invoking a new European Union law protecting whistle-blowers to argue that he should not have been convicted after exposing corruption in Spain.

More than half of European nations, including Spain, offer little to no national protection for whistle-blowers, undermining efforts to fight corruption. But an E.U. law passed in 2019 requires organizations of more than 50 employees to set up internal channels for people to report wrongdoing, and then to act upon such information within three months of receiving it.

Enforcement of it could help the bloc recoup billions of dollars siphoned off by corruption. Weak or nonexistent whistle-blower laws waste €5.8 to €9.6 billion each year in public procurement spending alone, according to a 2017 study by the European Commission. read more »

DUSA Pharmaceuticals To Pay U.S. $20.75 Million To Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating To Promotion Of Unsupported Drug Administration Process

DOJ

Massachusetts-based DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (DUSA), a subsidiary of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. (Sun Pharma), has agreed to pay the United States $20.75 million to resolve allegations that DUSA caused physicians to submit false claims to Medicare and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program by knowingly promoting an administration process for the drug Levulan Kerastick that contradicted the product instructions approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was unsupported by sufficient clinical evidence.  

The settlement with DUSA resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. read more »