Seal
________________________________________________________________________





*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

November 20, 2023

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov




*PRESS OFFICE: (512) 463-2050*

[email protected]





 

* *

*Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Drug Manufacturer Tris Pharma*

* **for Defrauding Texas Taxpayers* 

 

AUSTIN – The Office of the Attorney General’s Civil Medicaid Fraud Division has sued Tris Pharma, Inc. and Tris CEO Ketan Mehta for defrauding the Texas Medicaid program by making false statements in violation of the Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act, now known as the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act (“THFPA”).   

  

Tris manufactured a potent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (“ADHD”) drug for children called Dyanavel XR and targeted Texas Medicaid with a fraudulent marketing scheme for the purpose of receiving taxpayer reimbursements through the program. In 2015, Tris launched Dyanavel into a saturated ADHD medication market and sought to differentiate the drug from competitors. To do so, Mehta and Tris pushed false claims that overstated Dyanavel’s efficacy.   

 

Tris directed their sales representatives to deliver false and misleading messages about Dyanavel to doctors in Texas, including Medicaid doctors. Sales representatives falsely told doctors that Dyanavel worked significantly faster than other drugs and provided other unproven benefits to pediatric patients. 

 

The filing explains that Tris’s “false and/or misleading messages regarding the efficacy of Dyanavel XR were disseminated repeatedly on thousands of sales calls to Texas Medicaid providers and decision makers.”    

 

“The lengths to which this company and their leadership went to defraud our state and the patients taking this medication are shocking,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Pharmaceutical companies who violate the public’s trust and hurt the people of Texas will be brought to justice to the fullest extent of the law.”   

 

The lawsuit was initially filed under seal, but the judge has since unsealed the petition at the Attorney General's request. To read the unsealed petition, click here [ [link removed] ]. 

 

 

   

###







Stay Connected with Office of Texas Attorney General on
Facebook [ [link removed] ] - Twitter [ [link removed] ] - Instagram [ [link removed] ] - Email [ [link removed] ]

 Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].


________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Office of Texas Attorney General ·300 W. 15th Street · Austin, TX 78701 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]