Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a nearly $34 million settlement from drugmaker AstraZeneca on Monday over alleged illegal kickbacks tied to Medicaid prescriptions.
Paxton’s office sued under the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act, alleging the company offered providers free nursing services, reimbursement support, and other inducements to steer them toward prescribing AstraZeneca drugs.
Many of those prescriptions were covered by Texas Medicaid, the office said, producing millions in claims it called tainted by the company’s payments. AstraZeneca will pay the state $33,998,000.
“I will not allow Big Pharma to misuse taxpayer dollars to put profit ahead of Texans’ health,” Paxton said in a statement.
The agreement resolves the state’s claims, which AstraZeneca settled without the allegations being decided in court.
