Here are three things to know:
- The settlement resolves claims from 2018 to 2022. QOL provided free Carbon-13 breath tests to doctors, falsely promoting them as a diagnostic tool for Congenital Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency, a rare genetic condition, according to a Nov. 15 Justice Department news release.
- The breath tests did not diagnose CSID. QOL tracked positive test results and encouraged its sales force to target healthcare providers whose patients tested positive, pushing them to prescribe Sucraid, a high-cost drug, the release said.
- Under the settlement, QOL and Cooper accepted responsibility for their actions, agreeing to pay $43.6 million for federal healthcare programs and $3.4 million for state Medicaid programs. Former employees, who filed the whistleblower lawsuit, will receive approximately $8 million as their share of the recovery.
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