State receives $200,000 in drug settlement

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin will receive $200,000 for its Medicaid program from the settlement of a multi-state lawsuit accusing a pharmaceutical company of improperly marketing a drug.

Wisconsin State Journal reported Wednesday that Illinois-based Astellas Pharma US Inc. will pay a total of $7.3 million in the settlement with multiple states and the federal government.

The Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office says in a statement that the company promoted pediatric use of the drug Mycamine from 2005 to 2010, even though the Food and Drug Administration hadn’t approved it for children.

The anti-fungal agent is approved for use in adults with certain infections. It also can be used to prevent infections in adults undergoing stem cell transplants.

Information from: Wisconsin State Journal, http://www.madison.com/wsj