Transvaginal Mesh manufacturer, C.R. Bard (Bard) is currently facing allegations that it made false representations about the safety of its catheters and provided kickbacks to doctors. The manufacturer is being prosecuted under the False Claims Act as its practices may have resulted in Medicare and Medicaid overbilling.
In this suit, Bard claims that the claims of William St. John LaCorte, the relator under the False Claims Act, are deficient and fail to provide factual support that the FDA staff and medical staff were not properly informed that the catheters they were selling exceeded the “French size.”
“Failing to warn professionals and patients of the risks associated with their products is a very serious issue, one that potentially puts people’s health at risk,” commented Robert Price a transvaginal mesh attorney with the Levin, Papantonio law firm.
“If the allegations of this lawsuit prove to be true, it wouldn’t be the first time that Bard has failed to adequately warn of the risks associated with one of its products,” Price continued, referring to the growing number of transvaginal mesh lawsuits against C.R. Bard.
Each year Medicare and Medicaid are defrauded of billions of dollars; the allegations in the suit that the representations of Bard resulted in the filing of false claims for payment were brought to light by Mr. LaCorte when he filed suit on behalf of the government. Should the lawsuit be successful, Mr. LaCorte may be eligible to receive compensation from the government’s portion of any settlement or verdict.
“Whistleblowers remain one of the most reliable and effective means of combating corruption and battling against those who seek to defraud the government and taxpayers,” commented Christopher Paulos, an attorney with the Levin, Papantonio law firm who practices in the areas of qui tam or whistleblower and business litigation. “Without their efforts, the government would continue to be robbed of even more billions in taxpayer dollars each year.”
Joshua is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow him on Twitter @Joshual33.
