New York, NY, June 28, 2019 – The compelling story of a Cephalon whistleblower represented by Phillips & Cohen LLP and his case involving an “opioid lollipop,” Actiq, will be featured on the CBS “Whistleblower” series tonight.
“Whistleblower” shines the spotlight on Bruce Boise, a former pharmaceutical sales representative for Cephalon, who exposed Cephalon’s illegal off-label marketing scheme of Actiq, a dangerous and addictive opioid lollipop that contains fentanyl, which is about 100 times stronger than morphine.
“Whistleblower” host Judge Alex Ferrer calls Boise and his qui tam lawsuit “the canary in the coal mine” of the opioid crisis.
“CBS This Morning” ran a story about Bruce Boise, “opioid lollipops” and the “Whistleblower” episode on its show today.
Cephalon whistleblower Boise alerts FDA about Cephalon’s push to sell the “opioid lollipop,” Actiq
Unaware of the False Claims Act and the protections it offers, Boise initially blew the whistle on Cephalon’s scheme without hiring a lawyer first. He contacted the US Food and Drug Administration to alert them to Cephalon’s improper sales and marketing of Actiq and other prescription drugs. He then agreed to wear a wire to a Cephalon sales conference to help the FBI gather evidence.
Unfortunately, Cephalon figured out he was a whistleblower and fired him. Despite being a highly successful sales rep, he was blackballed in the pharmaceutical industry and lost his home, his healthcare coverage and any future career prospects.
He then learned about the False Claims Act and hired Phillips & Cohen to represent him, which made a huge difference in the outcome of the case for him. Phillips & Cohen filed a “qui tam” lawsuit against Cephalon on his behalf.
Boise’s attorney, Phillips & Cohen partner Peter Chatfield, was able to secure a sizeable whistleblower award for Boise after Cephalon paid $425 million to the government to settle four qui tam cases and a criminal charge, even though other whistleblowers had filed their qui tam cases before him.
“Our client, Bruce Boise, sacrificed a lot to protect patients across this country” said Chatfield. “We were honored to represent him and are thrilled that CBS chose to tell his story.”
The challenges Boise faced when exposing Cephalon underscores the critical role that an experienced whistleblower attorney can play in helping whistleblowers through difficult decisions and adverse situations.
If you are aware of pharma fraud or other types of fraud in the healthcare industry and would like to discuss your situation with Phillips & Cohen, contact us for a free, confidential review.
Phillips & Cohen is the most successful law firm representing whistleblowers, with more than $12.3 billion in recoveries as a result of the firm’s whistleblower cases. Phillips & Cohen represents whistleblowers in the US and other countries in cases brought under the False Claims Act and in claims filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the IRS.