J&J hit by fines of more than $2.2bn Johnson & Johnson is to pay more than $2.2bn in fines to US federal and state authorities for kickbacks and promotion of its medicines for diseases beyond their approved uses over more than a decade. In the largest of a series of settlements involving the US healthcare group, it pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour linked to its past selling practices for Risperdal, its antipsychotic drug. It also agreed payments linked to its marketing of the drugs Invega for schizophrenia, and Natricore for heart failure. Eric Holder, the attorney-general, said in a statement: "This multibillion-dollar resolution demonstrates the Justice Department's firm commitment to preventing and combating all forms of healthcare fraud. And it proves our determination to hold accountable any corporation that breaks the law and enriches its bottom line at the expense of the American people. The fines are the latest in a series of high-profile settlements with pharmaceutical companies in the US, including a record fine of $3bn levied against GlaxoSmithKline in 2012 and a $491m settlement agreed last summer by Pfizer for activities by Wyeth before its acquisition in 2009. It comes as US and UK regulators step up their scrutiny of corruption and bribery in foreign countries, against a backdrop of concerns over marketing practices around the world, including allegations in July by the Chinese police that GSK had paid bribes in the country of nearly $500m since 2007. As part of the latest deal, J&J has signed a five-year "corporate integrity agreement" with the Department of Health and Human Services to scrutinise future practices. It said it had already made provision for the fines, and that there would be no additional charge to its earnings. The shares were down about 0.8 per cent at $92.65 by mid-afternoon in New York. Regulators accused the company of promoting Risperdal to patients with illnesses beyond those for which the drug had been authorised, including to people with dementia and children with mental disabilities. They said J&J paid kickbacks to the pharmacy Omnicare "under the guise of market share rebate payments, data-purchase agreements, "grants" and "educational funding."" The settlement is a fresh blow after a series of manufacturing problems in J&J's consumer health arm, which damaged its brand and triggered a substantial loss of sales. Michael Ullmann, J&J's general counsel, said: "Today we reached closure on complex legal matters spanning almost a decade. This resolution allows us to move forward and continue to focus on delivering innovative solutions that improve and enhance the health and wellbeing of patients around the world. John Roth, director of the Office of Criminal Investigations at the Food and Drug Administration, said: "When pharmaceutical companies interfere with the FDA's mission of ensuring that drugs are safe and effective for the American public, they undermine the doctor-patient relationship and put the health and safety of patients at risk."