U.S. Settles $1.2 Million False Claims Case Against Florida Compounder

The U.S. government settled a $1.2 million lawsuit against Florida compounding pharmacy RS Compounding and its owner over excessive charges made to Tricare between January 2012 and 2014.

The case alleged that the now-defunct compounder and its owner Renier Gobea violated the False Claims Act by billing the health insurance program for service members and their families at least 2,000 percent more for drugs than they charged customers that paid cash. In some cases, Tricare was charged over 10,000 percent more than the public.

Tricare’s compounding costs increased from $5 million in 2004 to $514 million in 2014 and $1.75 billion in fiscal year 2015.