In December 2017 Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX), a seller of medical devices and supplies, completed its acquisition of C.R. Bard. In July 2017— five months prior to the deal closing— C.R. Bard received a civil investigative demand (CID) from the Department of Justice seeking documents and information relating to an investigation into possible violations of the False Claims Act in connection with the sales and marketing of FloChec® and QuantaFloTM devices.

The fraud probe was disclosed via new language inserted in Becton’s latest quarterly report.

It’s the first time the company has mentioned the probe since originally disclosing it in an annual report filed in November 2019.

The new language in the latest filing indicates a resolution is imminent:

“The Company has responded to these requests and expects further discussion with the government following recent communications from the Department of Justice.”

It’s the third federal fraud probe of Becton, Dickinson.

In 2019, the DOJ expanded its False Claims Act investigation of the company’s dealings with the the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2023, the DOJ launched a fraud investigation of Becton’s GenesisTM container products.