Biogen finalizes $900M settlement in false claims whistleblower suit
By Adrianne Appel2022-09-27T19:04:00
Biogen finalized a $900 million settlement concerning alleged kickbacks it paid to doctors to induce them to prescribe the company’s drugs and not those of its competitors, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday.
Biogen made the alleged payments to try and dampen competition for its multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs, including Avonex, Tysabri, and Tecfidera, according to the settlement.
The agreement, first disclosed by Biogen in July, ends years of litigation dating back to 2012, when former employee Michael Bawduniak blew the whistle on the alleged kickbacks. He filed a lawsuit against the company in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, citing violations of the False Claims Act (FCA).