Pharma firms Astellas and Amgen to pay $125m after probe in co-payment scheme
The two allegedly used charities that help cover Medicare patients' out-of-pocket drug costs as a way to pay kickbacks aimed at encouraging the use of their medications
Boston, US — Two drug makers will pay nearly $125m to settle claims that they used charities that help cover Medicare patients' out-of-pocket drug costs as a way to pay kickbacks aimed at encouraging the use of their medications, the US justice department said on Thursday. The department said Astellas Pharma and Amgen were the latest pharmaceutical companies to settle claims stemming from an industry-wide probe of drug makers' financial support of patient-assistance charities. Astellas will pay $100m while Amgen will pay $24.75m, the department said. Neither company admitted wrongdoing or responded immediately to requests for comment. The investigation, led by the US attorney's office in Boston, came amid growing attention on soaring US drug prices. Co-pays are partly meant to serve as a check on healthcare expenses by exposing patients to some of a drug’s cost. Drug companies are prohibited from subsidising co-payments for patients enrolled in the government’s Medicare healthcare p...
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