JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri will receive $22 million as part of the largest nationwide Medicaid fraud settlement in history.
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals will pay the settlement following an investigation that alleged the company and its subsidiaries paid kickbacks and improperly marketed several drugs Pfizer manufactures.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster says Pfizer will pay the states and the federal government a total of $1 billion in civil damages and penalties to compensate Medicaid, Medicare, and various federal healthcare programs for harm suffered as a result of its conduct.
"Pharmaceutical companies are a critical player in Missouri's health-care system, and like every other part of the system these companies must play by the rules," Koster said. "Today's collection of $22 million for Missouri shows why it is so important to our state to stay focused on Medicaid fraud."
So far in 2009, the Attorney General's office has collected more than $75 million in Medicaid fraud recovery, an all-time record for Missouri.
