Opinion ID: 2968817
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: coventry presentation

Text: Parks also says that she complained about a teleconference presentation by Dr. Kaplan to Coventry Health Care in February of 2006. Part of the presentation was meant to promote Kadian as being less prone to diversion (i.e., less prone to be diverted to the black market) than other opioid drugs. J.A. 262. Notably, Parks “arranged for Dr. Kaplan to 9 speak,” and she also provided certain slides for that presentation. Id. at 1884. Nevertheless, Parks claims that because Kadian had not been proven to be less subject to diversion, she felt that marketing it that way would be considered off-label promotion. When Parks discovered that the presentation would involve a discussion of diversion, she wrote an email to Hill to express these concerns. The email stated, Between us, I am not at all comfortable with this approach. If it were me[,] I would not do this. The success with Medicaid in [Maryland] was due to a strong clinical support from my [doctors] and a great detail from Dr. Royal . . . . Nonetheless, I am doing all that I can to help [Matt Anderson, Alpharma’s Managed Care Representative, who was responsible for the presentation].” J.A. 262. Hill responded, “I would agree, I think we need to take a more clinical approach than abuse and diversion.” Id. at 1884. 3 3 Because Dr. Kaplan was not on Alpharma’s list of approved speakers, he could not be paid his $500 honorarium for the Coventry presentation through normal channels. Parks says that her supervisors encouraged her to buy Dr. Kaplan a gift certificate with her company American Express card, but she refused to do so. Eventually, Dr. Kaplan was paid by a check issued by Alpharma. See J.A. 446-58. It is not clear whether Parks desires to use this fact as evidence of an FCA protected activity or retaliatory behavior on the part of Alpharma. Regardless, we do not find it persuasive or relevant to our analysis. 10