Mass. gets $4.7m in drug settlement

The Massachusetts attorney general's office says Pennsylvania drug maker Cephalon Inc. has agreed to a nearly $4.7 million payment to settle allegations of off-label marketing of three pharmaceutical products.

Under terms of the settlement, the money will be paid to the Massachusetts Medicaid Program, also known as MassHealth, which provides healthcare products and services to low-income residents and those with disabilities.

The settlement resolves allegations Cephalon engaged in improper marketing of Actiq, a highly addictive painkiller; the anti-epilepsy drug Gabitril; and the narcolepsy drug Provigil.

The money is part of a $248 million national settlement.

Associated Press