Pfizer to pay $59.7 million over kickbacks for migraine headache medication

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK CITY (Reuters) – Pfizer will certainly pay $59.7 million to solve costs that a firm it got ripped off Medicare and various other health care programs by paying kickbacks so medical professionals would certainly suggest the migraine headache medication Nurtec ODT, the UNITED STATE Department of Justice claimed on Friday.

The Justice Department claimed that from March 1, 2020, toSept 30, 2022, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals breached the government False Claims Act by giving audio speaker gratuity and dishes at premium dining establishments to medical professionals, to generate them to suggest Nurtec regularly.

According to the federal government, some audio speaker programs were participated in several times by the exact same medical professionals, leading to no academic advantage, or participated in by medical professionals’ partners, relative and coworkers that had no academic demand to be there.

Pfizer finished the Nurtec audio speaker programs after paying $11.5 billion to get Biohaven in October 2022.

“Patients deserve to know that their doctor is prescribing medications based on their doctor’s medical judgment, and not as a result of financial incentives from pharmaceutical companies,” claimed Trini Ross, UNITED STATE Attorney for the Western District of New York.

Pfizer did not confess misbehavior in consenting to clear up.

“We are pleased to put this legacy matter behind us, so that we can continue to focus on the needs of patients,” the New York- based drugmaker claimed in a declaration.

The negotiation settles an August 2021 legal action submitted in the Rochester, New York government court by Patricia Frattasio, a previous Biohaven neuroscience sales expert.

She will certainly obtain concerning $8.4 million from the negotiation. About $41.8 million will certainly most likely to the federal government and $9.5 million will certainly most likely to state Medicaid programs.

The False Claims Act allows whistleblowers take legal action against in support of the federal government, and share in healings.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)