By Ed SilvermanJune 29, 2026
Pharmalot Columnist, Senior Writer
Ed’s stories explore prescription drug pricing, affordability and access, as well issues surrounding patents, litigation, and legislation. He is also the author of the morning Pharmalittle newsletter and the afternoon Pharmalot newsletter.AstraZeneca agreed to pay $34 million to settle claims that the company paid kickbacks to improperly influence prescriptions paid for by Texas Medicaid.
The state had alleged that the drugmaker paid the kickbacks in the form of a free network of nurses and insurance support services to boost prescriptions of its medicines. By doing so, AstraZeneca allegedly helped manage key aspects of patient care that a physician would otherwise have to handle or pay staff to perform.
As a result, the company prompted pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, and others to submit claims to Texas Medicaid for its medicines. Those claims caused the state health care program to disburse millions of dollars in reimbursements that were not authorized under the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act.
