A bipartisan coalition of 39 states and territories has joined with the federal government in settling allegations of illegal kickbacks against Biohaven Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical company Pfizer. As part of the settlement, Pfizer has agreed to pay over $59 million, including a payment of $156,253 to Colorado in restitution and other recoveries. A coordinated state and federal investigation found that, from March 2020 through September 2022, Biohaven paid kickbacks to health care providers in the form of cash, lavish meals, and speaker payments to get them to prescribe Biohaven’s product, Nurtec, a prescription drug used to treat migraine headaches.

“Medicaid is a critical lifeline for many Coloradans, especially for people who earn low incomes, and that is who is harmed most by misuse and abuse of Medicaid dollars. I am committed to holding accountable anyone trying to game the system, including multibillion dollar corporations like Pfizer.” – AG Weiser

https://coag.gov/press-releases/pfizer-medicaid-kickbacks/