The Smyrna pharmaceutical company UCB Inc. has settled claims with Georgia, other states and the U.S. government that it caused fraudulent claims to be submitted to the Medicaid program, the state Attorney General's Office said.
Of the total civil settlement of about $25.8 million, Georgia will receive $894,512. UCB makes Keppra, an anti-epileptic drug, and promoted its sale to treat headaches, migraines, pain, bipolar disorders and anxiety, although the Food and Drug Administration had not approved those uses , the AG's office said.
The investigation of the issue was initiated with lawsuits that were filed in U.S. District Courts in Washington, D.C., and in Oregon under the False Claims Act. As part of the settlement, UCB, the subsidiary of a Belgium company, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of "misbranding" the drug. The company also agreed to pay a fine and costs of about $8.6 million, the AG's office said.
“UCB’s marketing of its drug Keppra for uses not approved by the FDA not only resulted in substantial financial loss to the Georgia Medicaid program, but also raised issues of patient safety," Georgia assistant attorney general Scott Smeal said in a statement. " The Georgia Attorney General's office will continue to cooperate with federal agencies to investigate and prosecute such practices by pharmaceutical companies.”
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