Two whistleblowers will share $45 million recovered as a result of their whistleblowing regarding AstraZeneca's illegal marketing of a schizophrenia drug. The whistleblowers, a sales rep, James Wetta, and a psychiatrist, Stefan Kruszewski, sued AstraZeneca under the federal False Claims Act and claimed that the company had marketed the drug, Seroquel, for purposes for which it had not been approved by the FDA. The Justice Department joined their suit and it was settled for $520 million in April. Under the False Claims Act a whistleblower can receive a portion of the monies recovered or paid in settlement, usually about 15-25%.

Usually, settlements in drug cases under the False Claims Act regard reimbursement claims to Medicaid and other government programs for off-label uses that the government says were caused by illegal marketing.

Source: Bloomberg News

Lexington, Kentucky lawyer Robert Abell represents individuals in whistleblower and False Claims Act cases.