California’s insurance regulator is suing AbbVie Inc., alleging that the pharmaceutical giant gave illegal kickbacks to health-care providers in order to keep patients on its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira.
The company “engaged in a far-reaching scheme including both classic kickbacks -- cash, meals, drinks, gifts, trips, and patient referrals -- and more sophisticated ones -- free and valuable professional goods and services to physicians to induce and reward Humira prescriptions,” the California Department of Insurance said in a statement.
