Firm will pay $202 million to federal and state governments
Pharmaceutical firm Gilead has admitted paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks to US doctors between January 2011 and November 2017, as inducements for prescribing the company’s HIV drugs. Gilead has agreed to pay $202 million – split between the federal and state governments – to resolve allegations that honoraria, meals, alcohol and travel expenses it provided to doctors who presented at its HIV speaker events were excessive and hence unlawful.
Meanwhile, in Belgium, competition authorities have fined three firms a total of over €11 million (£9.5 million) for anticompetitive behaviour relating to placing over-the-counter medicines in pharmacies.
Kenvue (Johnson & Johnson’s consumer health spin-off), Haleon (formed from the merger of GSK and Pfizer’s consumer divisions) and Boehringer Ingelheim abused their positions to get favourable placement and promotion of their own products, and disadvantage or exclude competitors’ products, over a period of more than 15 years. The companies acknowledged their infringements and agreed to the settlement.
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