Hooters, Florida Trips Among Novartis' Kickbacks, Feds Claim

East Hanover-based Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. was sued by the U.S. government Friday after federal officials claimed the company was paying a decade's worth of kickbacks to doctors who directed patients to take Novartis drugs.

Friday's lawsuit was the second federal case brought against Novartis in a week, the first also related to alleged kickbacks offered to pharmacies for having kidney transplant patients switch to Novartis drugs over competitors, according to an AP story on Manufacturing.net.

The lawsuit claims Novartis reaped increased profits from the incentive programs from 2001 through 2011, but Novartis leadership claimed the company consistently works to conduct business in an ethical manner, the AP reported.