January 27, 2025 – According to Reuters, Pfizer has agreed to pay $59.7 million to settle claims that Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, a company it acquired in 2022, gave illegal incentives to doctors to promote its migraine drug, Nurtec ODT.
Between 2020 and 2022, Biohaven allegedly paid high speaker fees and hosted lavish meals to encourage doctors to prescribe the drug, leading to false claims submitted to Medicare.
Pfizer, which bought Biohaven for $11.6 billion, ended these practices after the acquisition. The company denied wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement. A whistleblower who reported the case will receive $8.4 million.