Fined for Medicaid Fraud

Florida’s Medicaid program will receive $807,826 from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca as a result of a settlement with the attorney general.

Attorney General Charlie Crist says the company committed Medicaid fraud through the marketing and sale of the drug Zoladex for use in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Crist says AstraZeneca overcharged Medicaid for Zoladex by not including promotions, free goods, discounts, rebates and other reductions in the price paid by Medicaid. The settlement period covers Jan. 1, 1993, through Dec. 31, 2003.

“We will not let our citizens be taken to the cleaners by companies that cheat taxpayer-funded programs,” Crist said in a prepared statement. “This case is about greed and taking advantage of those who have no choice in the medications they purchase.”

The attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered more than $27 million in taxpayer funds last year.