Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced Arkansas, other states and
the federal government have reached an agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI) to settle allegations that the company paid
kickbacks and improperly marketed four of its drugs.
BIPI, a Connecticut-based company, will pay the states
and federal government a total of $95 million in the settlement related to the
drugs Atrovent, Combivent, Micardis and Aggrenox. Of that, Arkansas’s Medicaid
program will receive $489,399.20.
“This company’s illegal marketing practices led to
increased, unnecessary costs to Arkansas taxpayers,” McDaniel said. “I am
pleased that the state’s Medicaid program will receive additional money as a
result of this joint state and federal settlement. Our office will continue to
work to prevent Medicaid fraud in Arkansas.”
The settlement resolves allegations that BIPI unlawfully
marketed the four drugs for a variety of non-FDA approved illnesses, thereby
causing false claims to be submitted to Medicaid. Additionally, the settlement
resolves allegations that the company paid kickbacks to healthcare professionals
as an inducement to prescribe.
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