Two drugmakers will pay nearly $125 million to resolve claims 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 high-priced medications, the U.S. Justice Department.
The department said Japan-based Astellas Pharma and Amgen Inc, the world’s largest biotech company, were the latest to settle claims stemming from an industry-wide probe of drugmakers’ financial support of patient assistance charities. Astellas will pay $100 million while Amgen will pay $24.75 million, the department said. Neither company admitted wrongdoing.