Pfizer, on behalf of its subsidiary Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company, agreed to pay $59,746,277 to resolve allegations that prior to Pfizer's acquisition, Biohaven paid kickbacks to physicians to induce prescriptions of Biohaven’s drug Nurtec.
The settlement resolves allegations that Biohaven paid improper remuneration, including speaker honoraria and high-end restaurant meals, to physicians and other healthcare professionals to promote prescriptions of the migraine drug Nurtec ODT from March 2020 to September 2022, according to a Jan. 24 news release from the Justice Department.
Biohaven allegedly selected certain healthcare providers for its speaker bureau and paid them to induce prescriptions of Nurtec ODT. Some prescribers attended multiple programs on the same topic without educational benefit, and attendees often included individuals with no educational need, such as family members or colleagues.
According to the release, the conduct continued until Pfizer acquired Biohaven in October 2022 and terminated the Nurtec speaker programs.