Pharmacies that
sold Serostim might be investigated

Court papers filed in conjunction with a $704 million settlement over the sales and pricing practices of the HIV-related wasting drug Serostim suggest that some U.S. pharmacies that sold the drug might also be investigated by federal authorities, The Boston Globe reports. Serono Laboratories, the maker of Serostim, agreed to the massive fine after authorities investigated claims that company employees offered bribes to doctors that would increase the number of prescriptions they wrote for the pricey medication.

But court documents suggest that Serono may also have provided Serostim to some pharmacies at discounts of up to 4% and that those pharmacies then sold the drug at full market price and pocketed the difference, which would violate federal drug-pricing regulations. Because a 12-week course of Serostim costs about $21,000, the 4% discounts would have resulted in about $840 in increased profit per prescription for pharmacies that sold the medication at standard rates.

The documents do not name the specific pharmacies alleged to have been offered the discounted Serostim, but investigators at the U.S. Department of Justice say that because of the allegations, they may expand their ongoing investigation to include U.S. pharmacies that sold the medication. (Advocate.com)