• Gilead Sciences agreed to pay $202 million to the U.S. government and various states to settle claims it used speaker programs to pay kickbacks to doctors to induce them to prescribe Gilead's medications to patients with HIV.
• "Gilead spent tens of millions of dollars on these programs, including over $20 million in speaking fees and millions more in exorbitant meals, alcohol and travel, all in an effort to induce doctors to prescribe Gilead's HIV drugs and drive up sales," interim U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.

agreed to pay $202 million to the U.S. government and various states to settle civil claims that the drugmaker used speaker programs to pay kickbacks to doctors to induce them to prescribe Gilead's expensive antiretroviral medications to patients with HIV, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Gilead gave the money to doctors who spoke at HIV Speaker Program events in the form of honoraria payments, meals and travel expenses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, which said the programs spanned from 2011 through 2017.

In return, the company sought to induce those doctors to prescribe the company's drugs, which include Biktarvy, Stribild, Genvoya, Complera, Odefsey and Descovy, the office said.

The arrangement, which violated the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute, caused so-called false claims to be made for Gilead's drugs to be paid for by federal health-care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, the office noted.

"Many healthcare providers who received these improper kickbacks then prescribed the Gilead HIV Drugs," the office said. "As a result, federal healthcare programs paid millions of dollars in reimbursements for tainted prescriptions."

One doctor who spoke at Gilead events, who received more than $300,000 in total honorarium, wrote prescriptions for Gilead HIV drugs that resulted in upward of $6 million in Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare payments, the office said.

"For years, Gilead unlawfully sought to increase sales of its HIV drugs, by using its speaker programs to funnel kickbacks to doctors," interim said in a statement.

"Gilead spent tens of millions of dollars on these programs, including over $20 million in speaking fees and millions more in exorbitant meals, alcohol and travel, all in an effort to induce doctors to prescribe Gilead's HIV drugs and drive up sales," Clayton said.

The settlement, which calls for Gilead to pay the U.S. nearly $177 million and the balance to various states, was approved Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan by Judge Paul Engelmayer.

Gilead, in a statement, said, it "entered into this agreement to avoid the cost and distraction of potential litigation regarding this legacy compliance matter."

"Gilead's HIV speaker programs have served to educate healthcare professionals about the appropriate use and benefits of these important medicines," the company said.

"These efforts are important for healthcare providers and patients to have the necessary information to make the best decisions for their care. Gilead's therapies have transformed the treatment paradigm for HIV, and Gilead will continue to drive innovation to meet patients' needs."

— C온라인카지노사이트's contributed to this story.