Pfizer to Pay $60 Million in False Claims Settlement Over Drug Kickbacks, DOJ Announces

The Department of Justice made the announcement, while Pfizer said it related to alleged misconduct before it purchased a subsidiary.

An illustration picture shows a drop from a syringe with the logo of US pharmaceutical company Pfizer on Nov. 17, 2020. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. has agreed to pay $60 million as part of a settlement to resolve false claims allegations relating to improper physician payments by one of its subsidiaries, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement.

The DOJ said that between March 2020 and September 2022, Pfizer subsidiary Biohaven Pharmaceuticals violated the federal False Claims Act by providing speaker honoraria and meals at high-end restaurants to doctors, to induce them to prescribe Nurtec ODT, a migraine drug, more often.