Payoffs to Prescribe Pain Med Could Land New York Doc in Prison

A New York City doctor admitted to taking payoffs disguised as speaker fees to write prescriptions for Subsys, a form of the addictive opiate fentanyl that is sprayed under the tongue.

Todd Schlifstein pleaded guilty June 26 to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statute. That health-care fraud law makes it a crime to take anything of value in return for referrals for services payable by Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal programs.

The case is a marker of the willingness of prosecutors to seek criminal charges for improper pharmaceutical marketing and promotion schemes, especially when they involve ...