Just last week, Endo subsidiary Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures chewable fluoride tablets prescribed to children living in areas without fluoridated water, agreed to pay $39 million to settle a civil fraud case with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the New York Attorney General’s office.
But this is not the first time Endo has run into trouble with the authorities.
Just last year, Endo paid over $192 million to resolve criminal and civil claims for its promotion of one of its drugs for unapproved uses.
As part of the most recent settlement, Qualitest admitted they mislabeled their fluoride tablets. The labels falsely claimed the tablets contained the amount of fluoride recommended by the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, when in reality the tablets contained less than half the recommended amount.
Federal health programs, including Medicaid, paid millions of dollars for these diluted tablets.
A whistleblower brought the case under the False Claims Act and will receive a portion of the recovery.