STAT Plus: Sun Pharma unit to pay $21 million for giving docs false instructions for an acne treatment
A unit of Sun Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay nearly $21 million to settle allegations of providing false instructions to doctors for an acne treatment and, in turn, causing federal health care programs such as Medicare to overpay for the medication.
At issue is a product called Levulan Kerastick, an acne ointment that is used in conjunction with an illuminated blue light. Clinical trials indicated the treatment required 14 to 18 hours of incubation. But Dusa Pharmaceuticals, which Sun acquired in 2012, encouraged doctors to use incubation periods of just one to three hours, resulting in far lower rates for resolving acne, according to the Department of Justice.
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