| ■ Johnson & Johnson Subsidiaries Agree to $81 Million in Fines | 2010.04.30 |
| Two subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson will pay more than $81 million to settle charges of illegally promoting the epilepsy drug Topamax for treatment of psychiatric disorders, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday. The drug is approved in the United States for epilepsy and prevention of migraine headaches. Johnson & Johnson's Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit will pay more than $75 million. That unit's subsidiary, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and pay a $6.1 million criminal fine, the Associated Press reported. More than $9 million of the settlement will go to private citizens who launched two lawsuits under the False Claims Act. Earlier this week, the federal government announced a $520 million settlement with AstraZeneca to resolve allegations of illegal marketing of the antipsychotic drug Seroquel, the AP reported. |