Average Wholesale Price (AWP) / Medicaid Fraud Litigation
This AWP litigation alleges a number of pharmaceutical companies were overcharging state Medicaid programs for prescription drugs. An examination of the pharmaceutical company price lists demonstrates the difference in the AWP and Wholesale Average Cost (WAC), which are the prices provided by the manufacturers for reimbursement, and the actual price or cost of the drug. In some cases, the published AWP price was more than 2,500 percent higher than the actual price, and the WAC price nearly 600 percent higher.
Beasley Allen has recovered more than $1.5 billion in settlements and jury verdicts for the states we have represented in these claims. Taxpayer dollars have been returned to the states and the agencies providing services to vulnerable residents. As a result, pharmaceutical manufacturers have completely changed the way they conduct business with states and their Medicaid agencies.
Opioid Epidemic
Opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. According to the Department of Health & Human Services, 12.5 million people misused prescription opioids and 33,091 Americans died from opioid overdose in 2015 alone.
These medications provide important pain relief for many. However, over the years, drug companies inflated the effectiveness of delayed-release medications like OxyContin and downplayed their addictive properties, creating conditions ripe for abuse.
In addition to individual cases of serious injury and death related to opioid abuse, Beasley Allen is representing multiple local governments in Alabama against both manufacturers and distributors of opioids for increased costs faced by local governments related to the opioid epidemic. Providing city and county resources to battle the opioid crisis causes local governments to sustain economic damages and ongoing significant financial burdens.
These lawsuits allege the crisis was created by the pharmaceutical industry, which instead of investigating suspicious orders of prescription opiates, turned a blind eye in favor of making a profit. They intentionally misled doctors and the public about the risks of these dangerous drugs, and municipal governments are left struggling to cope with the consequences.
Contact a Pharmaceutical Pricing Attorney
We live by our creed of “helping those who need it most” and have helped thousands of clients get the justice they desperately needed and deserved. If you feel you have a case or just have questions please contact us for a free consultation. There is no risk and no fees unless we win for you.
Related News
State of Mississippi awarded $12.4 million in Medicaid Fraud litigation against Watson Pharmaceuticals
Trial Court awards $38.2 million to the State of Mississippi in Beasley Allen Medicaid fraud lawsuit
Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Tackle Drug Price-Fixing Litigation for States
Plaintiffs’ trial attorneys are taking on a new challenge: representing state attorneys general, health insurance…
