Novartis pays $678M to resolve suit over sham doctor outings

NEW YORK (AP) — Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp. will pay $678 million to the U.S. government and various states to settle a lawsuit over a sham speaker program that distributed cash, expensive dinners and other treats to induce doctors to prescribe its products, federal authorities announced Wednesday. The settlement of the lawsuit was announced by Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, who said the company splurged on “speaking fees, exorbitant meals, and top-shelf alcohol that were nothing more than bribes...