Amgen Pays $25M In Kickback Case
- April 22, 2013 by Qui Tam
- Federal False Claims Act
A California biotech company will pay almost $25 million to settle claims that it paid illegal kickbacks to boost prescriptions of a drug for treating anemia, the Department of Justice announced this week.
Amgen, Inc. will pay $17.8 million to the federal government and $7.1 million to various state governments under the settlement, which resolves claims that the company paid kickbacks to long-term-care pharmacy providers to get them to switch patients to Aranesp, a drug that Amgen manufactures.
The False Claims Act case was brought by Frank Kurnik, a longtime Amgen employee.