Justice Department says Shire will pay $56.5M fine

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says Irish drugmaker Shire will pay $56.5 million to settle allegations it broke the law in promoting five different drugs, including its attention deficit disorder drugs Adderall XR and Vyvanse.

According to a whistleblower lawsuit, Shire claimed ADHD patients who took Adderall XR would be "indistinguishable" from people who don't have the condition. It also suggested that the drug would prevent patients from getting bad grades, losing their jobs, engaging in criminal behavior, getting into traffic accidents, and acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. It also said its drugs Vyvanse and Daytrana were less likely to be abused than other medications, and that its ulcerative colitis drug Lialda could help prevent colorectal cancer.

The Justice Department says those claims are not backed by evidence from clinical trials.