Georgia joins $44.3 million pharmaceutical settlement
Georgia has joined other states and the U.S. government in reaching a $44.3 million settlement with the pharmaceutical manufacturer EMD Serono Inc., the state Attorney General's Office said Thursday.
The agreement settles allegations that false or fraudulent claims for the drug Rebif, which treats multiple sclerosis, were submitted to the Medicaid program. From 2002 through 2009, according to the allegations, EMD Serono paid inducements to health-care professionals to get them to prescribe Rebif. Under the agreement, Georgia will receive $399,412.
The inducements included activities such as promotional speaking engagements, attending speaker training, advisory and consultant meetings, educational grants and charitable contributions, the AG's office said. The investigation was launched after a federal whistle-blower lawsuit was filed against the company in Maryland.
Investigators from the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Controls Units participated in the probe and conducted settlement negotiations with EMD Serono on behalf of the states, the AG's office said.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
