Biogen to Pay $22 Million in Drug Kickback Settlement, DOJ Says

Biogen Inc. will pay $22 million to resolve claims it violated the False Claims Act by engaging in a kickback scheme that used charitable foundations as a conduit to cover the copays of Medicare patients to induce purchases of its multiple sclerosis drugs, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Biogen allegedly identified for its vendor, Advanced Care Scripts Inc., certain patients in free drug programs, worked to transfer those patients to the foundations, and paid those foundations to cover Medicare costs, the DOJ said. The drugs involved are Avonex and Tysabri, it said.

The Anti-Kickback statute precludes pharmaceutical companies from offering ...