Drugmaker Merck to pay $24M to settle Medicaid case

The drugmaker has agreed to settle a civil lawsuit that accused a former subsidiary of overpaying pharmacists for a widely used medication.

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Drugmaker Merck Agrees To Pay Massachusetts $24M To Settle Medicaid Fraud Claims
Drugmaker Merck & Co. will pay Massachusetts $24 million to settle a civil lawsuit accusing a former subsidiary of causing the state to overpay pharmacists for a widely used asthma medication. Attorney General Martha Coakley said Tuesday that the deal with Merck and 12 other drugmakers who settled previously enables the state to recover more than $47 million for its Medicaid program (12/20).

Boston Globe: Merck To Pay $24M In Overcharging Case
Merck & Co. has agreed to pay $24 million to the state Medicaid program to settle long-running civil charges that it charged too much for some drugs, in the largest single-case Medicaid fraud settlement in Massachusetts history. The agreement, unveiled yesterday by Attorney General Martha Coakley's office, closes out a 2003 lawsuit filed against 13 drug makers over inflated prices for medicines that were sold in pharmacies (Weisman, 12/21).

WBUR: Merck Settles Mass. Lawsuit For $24M
The giant pharmaceutical company Merck has agreed to pay the state $24 million to settle a lawsuit. Attorney General Martha Coakley sued Merck and 12 other drug companies on grounds that they had defrauded Medicaid by reporting inflated prices (12/20).