Boehringer to Pay $13.5 Million Settlement for Improper Off-Label Promotion

Boehringer Ingelheim agreed to pay $13.5 million to all 50 states and the District of Columbia to settle a lawsuit alleging the company promoted unapproved uses of prescription drugs and engaged in deceptive marketing.

Boehringer claimed its drug Aggrenox, indicated for stroke prevention, could treat conditions such as congestive heart failure and heart attacks and asserted, absent evidence, that it was superior to Plavix, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi’s blood thinner, according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs also accused the firm of misrepresenting its hypertension drug Micardis as a heart attack and stroke treatment. Lastly, according to the state attorneys general, the company falsely claimed two of its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatments, Atrovent and Combivent, could be taken in higher dosages than recommended on the product labeling.