STAT+: Takeda will pay $13.6 million to settle allegations it paid kickbacks to doctors
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- Takeda Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay $13.6 million to settle DOJ allegations that it provided kickbacks to physicians to prescribe its antidepressant Trintellix.
- Trintellix was promoted from January 2014 to October 2020 through speaking fees and high‑end restaurant meals, with some doctors receiving no educational benefit.
- U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement, stating the conduct caused Medicaid to submit false claims for the drug.
- Eric Grant, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said the settlement reflects a commitment to keep patients’ best interests paramount and to stop prescribing decisions being swayed by drug‑company perks.
Why it matters: Medicaid saves money by ending false claims, while Takeda incurs a $13.6 M penalty and must tighten its physician‑marketing practices, reducing incentives that could bias prescribing.
