Did Horizon Pharma fire an employee for being a whistleblower against Aegerion?

Last September, Aegerion Pharmaceuticals (AEGR) agreed to pay $40 million to settle civil and criminal charges of illegally marketing a pricey cholesterol medicine, failing to adhere to a regulatory safety program, and misleading investors.

The settlement stemmed from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by three former employees, including Tricia Mullins, who last June had already taken a position with Horizon Pharma (HZNP). But a few weeks after the Aegerion deal was announced, Mullins lost her new job.

Why? The company claimed she disclosed confidential information, but Mullins argued she was wrongfully terminated from her new job because of her role as a whistleblower in the Aegerion case, according to a lawsuit she filed last week in federal court in California.

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