RALEIGH, N.C. -- Attorney General Josh Stein plans to sue drug manufacturer Insys Therapeutics, Inc.

• Says the company is responsible for its deceptive marketing and sales practices
• Complaint alleges Insys paid kickbacks to entice medical professionals
• Stein has sued Insys before

Stein claims the company is responsible for deceptive marketing and sales practices by intervening in two lawsuits accusing Insys of violating the Fair Claims Act.

He says the schemes were used to increase prescriptions of a highly potent fentanyl painkiller used to treat cancer called Subsys.

In a press release Stein says:

The complaint alleges that Insys paid kickbacks to entice doctors and nurse practitioners to prescribe Subsys to patients. These kickbacks ranged from speaker payments for phony speeches and jobs for family members and friends to lavish meals and entertainment. The complaint also alleges that Insys employees pushed prescribers to prescribe Subsys for patients who were not diagnosed with cancer, and lied to insurance companies about patient diagnoses to obtain Medicare and TRICARE reimbursements for Subsys prescriptions.

The attorney general has previously sued Insys over its marketing of the drug under North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act, but this most recent complaint was filed under the False Claims Act, "which allows whistleblowers to file lawsuits on behalf of the state against a party that has allegedly submitted false claims to receive government funds, and to receive a share of any recovery."

Tune in to "The Opioid Epidemic: Carolina in Crisis" Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. on Spectrum News.