Pharmaceutical Company to Pay Massachusetts $724,000 Over Claims of Illegal Marketing

A manufacturer of pharmaceutical products has agreed to pay more than $724,000 to the Massachusetts Medicaid program over allegations of unlawful marketing practices aimed at promoting the drug Lidoderm for conditions not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Attorney General Martha Coakley announced. The global settlement with Endo Pharmaceuticals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endo Health Solutions, resolves civil allegations that it illegally marketed Lidoderm for use in connection with lower back pain or chronic pain. The FDA approved Lidoderm only for the treatment of pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia, more commonly known as “shingles.”