Geneva (AFP)

Novartis has agreed to pay more than $ 729 million to end prosecutions by the American justice system, which accused the Swiss pharmaceutical group, in particular, of having paid large bribes to doctors.

"The agreements reached are in line with Novartis commitment to resolve issues inherited from the past," Novartis chief executive Vas Narasimhan said in a statement released on Thursday.

The first amicable agreement reached between the group and the justice system relates to the fact that Novartis has taken charge of the third-party payment of patients taking two of its medications Gilenya and Afinitor through three foundations.

As part of this agreement, Novartis will pay $ 51.25 million.

The second deal relates to the charge against the company for paying bribes to doctors.

"Through this friendly agreement and others, the government is demonstrating its will to ensure that pharmaceutical companies do not use kickbacks to influence doctors and patients to prescribe and buy certain drugs, "said Jody Hunt, deputy minister of justice, quoted in a statement from the United States Department of Justice.

It is to end the bribe component that Novartis agrees to pay $ 678 million to the United States and certain American states.

In this case, the group is accused of having spent hundreds of millions of dollars on tens of thousands of conference programs, which according to American justice were in fact disguised means "to pay bribes" to doctors.

- Digital education -

Thus, the department explains that Novartis often chose as speakers in exchange for fees doctors who already prescribed large quantities of its drugs, in order to encourage them to prescribe more or, at the very least, as many.

The medical representatives were then tasked with putting pressure on these speakers.

"For more than a decade, Novartis has paid hundreds of millions of dollars for so-called conferences, including speaker fees, extravagant meals, and fine liquors that were nothing more than bribes. wine to encourage doctors across the country to prescribe Novartis drugs, "accused acting New York district attorney federal Audrey Strauss.

Methods that have often been denounced for the entire pharmaceutical industry.

According to American justice, this vast enterprise of corruption was "the fruit of decisions taken at the highest level of management at the headquarters of Novartis North America, in New Jersey," the statement added.

Prosecutions in this aspect of the case were launched after a complaint in 2011 from a whistleblower, Oswald Bilotta, who "will receive a reward the amount of which remains to be determined," said the press release from the United States Department of Justice. .

As part of the friendly agreement, Novartis has concluded a 5-year good conduct agreement under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Health.

The Swiss group also said Thursday that it is now embarking on a new approach to meet the training needs of doctors, thanks in particular to digital education programs.

On the Swiss Stock Exchange, the title lost at 09H28GMT -0.62% to 82.30 Swiss francs, in a slightly rising market.

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