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Medicinal Giant Pfizer It will pay nearly $60 million to settle allegations that the company it acquired allegedly defrauded Medicare and other federal health care programs by prescribing a certain migraine drug to patients. do
The Department of Justice announced on Friday that Biohaven paid improper remuneration, including in the form of speaker honoraria and meals at high-end restaurants, to health care professionals to induce them to prescribe migraine medications. nurtec odt Most often in violation of the anti-impact statute.
The scheme was carried out from March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2022. Pfizer acquired Biohaven in October 2022.
Pfizer Inc. logo. It is seen on the lab coat of an employee at the company's research and development center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Pfizer will pay nearly $60 million to settle charges that the company it acquired. (Scott Eisen/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Prosecutors said some prescribers who attended multiple speakers' programs on the same topic received no educational benefits from attending the repeat programs, and some Biohaven speaker programs were attended by non-educated individuals, such as the speakers' spouses. , family members were present in it. Friends or colleagues from the speakers' own medical practice.
Pfizer has ended Nurtec's speaker plans after paying $11.5 billion to buy Biohaven.
Trini E. Ross, US Attorney for the Western District of New York, said: “Patients deserve to know that their doctors are prescribing drugs based on their own medical judgment and not as a result of financial incentives from drug companies.” “This settlement demonstrates our commitment to holding those who violate the law to account, regardless of their status or credit.”
A woman walks in front of the Pfizer headquarters in New York City. Pfizer will pay nearly $60 million to settle charges that the company it acquired. (Eduardo Munozalvarez/ViewPress)
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Pfizer did not admit that in the settlement agreement.
“We are pleased to put this legacy behind us so we can continue to focus on the needs of patients.” Based in New York drugs said in a statement.
Nurtec ODT, also known as Rimegepant, was approved for the treatment of acute migraine in February 2020, and its approval was extended to prevent episodic migraine in June 2021. This drug was promoted by the singer Lady Gaga in 2023, who said in a social media post that he had suffered from migraines since childhood and said he wished he had found the drug sooner.
The civil settlement settled an August 2021 lawsuit in Rochester, New York federal court by Patricia Frattasio, a former Biohaven neuroscience sales professional.
Lady Gaga attends the 'Joker: Folie A Deux' photocall during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino on September 4, 2024 in Venice, Italy. Gaga promoted this drug in 2023. (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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He will receive about $8.4 million from the settlement. About $41.8 million goes to the federal government, and $9.5 million goes to state Medicaid programs.
The False Claims Act allows whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the government and contribute to recovery.
Meanwhile, the anti-kickback statute prohibits giving or paying anything of value to induce referrals for Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, and other federally covered items or services. Health care programsThe statute is intended to ensure that the judgments of medical providers are not compromised by improper financial incentives.
Reuters contributed to this report.