Federal Jury Awards $2.4 Million to Whistleblower Allegedly Fired by AstraZeneca

A former AstraZeneca sales manager was awarded $2.4 million in damages in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, after being let go by the drugmaker, allegedly for reporting misleading marketing practices.

The jury concluded that AstraZeneca violated whistleblower protections for terminating sales manager Suzanne Ivie, a nearly 20-year employee, in June 2019, and that she should receive compensation.

Ivie had worked in the company’s Salt Lake City office within the respiratory products division, with her territory spanning eastern Oregon, Idaho and Utah. She was awarded $1,872,000 for emotional distress and harm to reputation and a further $510,423 for lost wages.