Manteca Oncologist Pays $550,000 to Settle False Claims Act Charges Pertaining to Fake Cancer Drug Purchases
Dr. Prabhjit S. Purewal agreed to pay $550,000 to settle allegations that he improperly billed Medicare for a variety of chemotherapy drugs purchased from unlicensed foreign pharmaceutical distributor, Richards Pharma. Richards Pharma, or Warwick Healthcare Solutions was an unsanctioned pharmaceutical distributor that was a source of counterfeit Altuzan.
Who: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Defense Health Agency.
When: February 24, 2015, May 2009 – May 2011.
Where: Manteca, California.
How: Investigation by FDA-OCI.
Additional details: In April 2012, the FDA sent Dr. Purewal a warning letter concerning his medication purchases from an unlicensed pharmaceutical distributor. It also warned Dr. Purewal that Richards Pharma was supplying counterfeit medication.
Related sources:
“
Manteca oncologist fined $550Kclaim,” Manteca Bulletin, March 4, 2014
“Manteca Oncologist Agrees To Pay $550,000 To Resolve False Claims Act Allegations,” DOJ, February 24, 2015
“Re: Purchasing Medications from Foreign or Unlicensed Suppliers Could Result in Serious Harm to Patients; Another Counterfeit Found in U.S.,” FDA Warning Letter, April 5, 2012