Bay Area physician Dr. Roger Wang has agreed to pay $1,033,666.42 to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by charging Medicare for non-FDA-approved drugs and associated services. According to the settlement, viscosupplements, such as Synvisc, Synvisc One, and Orthovisc, are FDA-approved drugs injected for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain. The United States has alleged that Wang, a rheumatology specialist practicing in San Francisco, purchased and injected into his patients versions of Synvisc, Synvisc One, or Orthovisc that were not approved by the FDA for distribution in the United States and therefore were not covered by Medicare, and billed Medicare for the drugs and injections. The settlement agreement resolves claims the United States might have brought based upon these allegations.
Pursuant to the settlement, the United States agreed to resolve the government’s claims resulting from Wang’s conduct, including the government’s claims under the False Claims Act, codified at 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733, and certain other related claims, for more than $1 million.
