Recent statutory changes have opened the door for a modest increase in qui tam actions over the last several years, a development that coincides with an increase in big-dollar recoveries.

Last November, Zane Memeger, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, announced a record settlement for a single drug, the antipsychotic Risperdal, that was part of a $2.2 billion global accord with subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson.