Ex-Physician Assistant Convicted in Insys Kickback Scheme

A federal jury convicted a former physician assistant of participating in a conspiracy to prescribe Insys’ potent fentanyl spray in exchange for kickbacks.

Christopher Clough of Dover, N.H., was convicted of involvement in a scheme in which he wrote more than 750 prescriptions for Insys’ drug Subsys. Of these, more than 225 were for Medicare patients, and the program paid more than $2.1 million for them.

In return, the drugmaker paid Clough speaking fees for more than 40 events at about $1,000 each. Many of the events were in fact only dinners with Insys representatives during which Clough did not give any presentations, and Clough and other participants in several cases forged signatures on sign-in sheets to create the impression of heavier attendance. Clough received nearly $50,000 from the drugmaker for his participation.