AstraZeneca Admits Guilt, Pays $355 Mln in Fraud Case
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AstraZeneca Plc pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy and agreed to pay $355 million to settle U.S. charges it colluded with doctors to defraud the government by billing for free samples of the prostate cancer drug Zoladex.
Europe's second-largest drugmaker pleaded guilty in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, to conspiring to violate a law regulating prescription drugs marketing. AstraZeneca agreed to pay a $63.8 million criminal fine plus $291 million in civil penalties. It caused Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs to lose almost $40 million, the Justice Department said.