Abbott Wins False Claims Lawsuit

Abbott Laboratories won a False Claims Act lawsuit that alleged the company was encouraging providers to submit false payments for stents to Medicare.

The suit came with the potential to pay out $1 billion in damages.

A former salesperson for Abbott’s predecessor, Guidant, brought the suit against the company in 2006 claiming, "the company pushed bile duct stents that were intended for short-term purposes for more complex vascular use," according to Bloomberg.

"This verdict supports a decade’s-long, generally accepted medical practice that benefited tens of thousands of patients," Elissa Maurer, an Abbott spokeswoman, said in an e-mail to Bloomberg. "We’re pleased with the jury’s decision."