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Novo Nordisk A/S and two other insulin makers must face claims they gouged diabetes patients through deceptive price lists for their life-saving drugs.
U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti in New Jersey on Friday allowed a proposed class-action lawsuit filed by 67 diabetics against Novo, Eli Lilly & Co. and the U.S. unit of French drugmaker Sanofi to proceed on consumer-fraud allegations tied to skyrocketing insulin prices. The judge threw out the plaintiffs' racketeering claims.
The ruling comes as a growing number of cases targeting insulin makers' price hikes have been filed in Martinotti's court and gathered before the judge for pretrial information exchanges. Plaintiffs contend companies are illegally raising insulin prices to provide rebates for pharmacy-benefit managers who decide which drugs get on preferred insurance lists.
"This ruling blows the insulin racket wide open,'' said Steve Berman, a plaintiffs' lawyer who is one of the leaders of the potential class-action case. The ruling "clears the way for us to begin obtaining discovery from the manufacturers and PBMs so we can shine the light on exactly what has driven insulin prices sky-high,'' he said.
"We're pleased with the court's dismissal of the RICO claims and numerous state law claims, and will continue to defend the company against any remaining claims," Ken Inchausti, a U.S.-based spokesman for Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based Novo, the world's biggest maker of insulin, said in an email.
