Pfizer Agrees to Nearly $60 Million Settlement of Subsidiary's Alleged Illegal “Speakers Bureau” Payments
- January 31, 2025
Pfizer Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., agreed to pay $59,746,277 to resolve allegations that, prior to Pfizer’s acquisition of the company, Biohaven knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and other federal health care programs by paying kickbacks to health care providers to induce prescriptions of Biohaven’s drug Nurtec ODT, the Department of Justice announced January 24.
According to a press release, from March 1, 2020 through September 30, 2022, Biohaven paid improper remuneration, including in the form of speaker honoraria and meals at high end restaurants, to health care professionals to induce them to prescribe the migraine medication.
The settlement stemmed from claims brought by whistleblower Patrica Frattasio, a former Biohaven sales representative. Frattasio will receive approximately $8.4 million as her share of the federal recovery.
The settlement resolves allegations only and no determination of liability has been made.