Overview

• Pfizer will pay $59.7 million to settle allegations that Biohaven, a company it acquired, violated the False Claims Act by offering kickbacks to doctors to promote the migraine drug Nurtec ODT.
• The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that from March 2020 to September 2022, Biohaven provided speaker honoraria and expensive meals to induce physicians to prescribe the drug more frequently.
• Some events allegedly included repeat attendees or individuals without educational needs, such as family members or colleagues from the same practice.
• Pfizer terminated the speaker programs upon acquiring Biohaven for $11.5 billion in October 2022 but did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement.
• The whistleblower in the case, a former Biohaven sales representative, will receive approximately $8.4 million as part of the settlement.