Insys Therapeutics (INSY) agreed on Thursday to pay $500,000 to Massachusetts to resolve charges of illegally marketing its highly addictive Subsys painkiller and paying kickbacks to doctors to write prescriptions.
Between 2012 and 2014, state officials charged that Insys marketed Subsys for patients whose pain is caused by an ailment other than cancer, even though the medicine was only approved by regulators for treating cancer pain. And Insys made misleading statements suggesting that Subsys was appropriate for combating mild pain, even while citing a study that found the drug was only appropriate for “moderate to severe” pain.
“Fentanyl is a powerful and highly addictive drug with deadly consequences, yet this opioid maker aggressively marketed its product and made illegal payments to providers to boost sales,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, in a statement. The lawsuit filed by the state noted the kickbacks were disguised as fees paid to physicians for speaking to other health care providers about the painkiller.
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