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California's insurance regulator is suing AbbVie Inc., alleging that the pharmaceutical giant gave illegal kickbacks to health care providers in order to keep patients on its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira.
The company "engaged in a far-reaching scheme including both classic kickbacks — cash, meals, drinks, gifts, trips, and patient referrals — and more sophisticated ones — free and valuable professional goods and services to physicians to induce and reward Humira prescriptions," the California Department of Insurance said in a statement.
According to the state, AbbVie paid for registered nurses that it called ambassadors to help doctors with patients who were taking Humira. While the nurses were represented to patients as an extension of the doctor's office, they were trained to tout the drug while downplaying its risks, the state said.
"AbbVie spent millions convincing patients and health care professionals that AbbVie Ambassadors were patient advocates — in fact, the Ambassadors were Humira advocates hired to do one thing, keep patients on a dangerous drug at any cost," Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in the statement.
The alleged misconduct "is particularly egregious because it's well known the drug has very adverse side effects," said Jones in a press conference. Under the ambassador system, complaints or concerns about serious infections, blood problems, or even heart failure — all known side effects of Humira — could go unreported to patients' physicians, he said.
The allegations "are without merit," AbbVie spokeswoman Adelle Infante said in a email. The company complies with state and federal laws governing interactions between health care providers and patients, she said. Its services help patients and "in no way replace or interfere with interactions between patients and their health care providers," she said.
Humira is one of the world's biggest-selling medications. The drug brought in $18.4 billion in 2017, accounting for roughly two-thirds of North Chicago, Illinois-based AbbVie's revenue. Private insurers have paid out $1.2 billion in Humira-related claims, according to Jones.
