Judith Doetteri and Camille McGowan, both little known sales representatives for Johnson & Johnson turned whistleblowers and are credited now with exposing the largest pharmaceutical fraud scheme ever resulting in payment of over $2.2 BILLION in civil and criminal fines.
For nine long years, Doetteri and McGowan kept their secret, working under cover with federal investigators.
The allegations and evidence showed that J&J and one of its units Janssen Pharmaceuticals marketed Resperdal for unapproved uses and then paid kickbacks to doctors and pharmacists who prescribed and pushed the drug.
The two women, working in sales, tried to report their concerns up the chain of command to no avail. Then, they hired counsel who helped them file a legal claim under the False Claims Act, which allows them to collect a percentage of what the government has recovered.
Early in the case, Doetteri wore a recording device while attending a two-day national sales conference in Texas.
Doetteri and three other whistle-blowers are expected to receive eight figure rewards under law.
The FDA has approved Risperdal for schizophrenia. The government charged that it was marketed for children and elderly individuals with dimentia.
