Minnesota-based St. Jude Medical Inc. will pay the U.S. $16 million to settle claims that it used three post-market studies, intended to assess the clinical performance of a medical device or drug post FDA-approval, to encourage physicians to implant their pacemakers and defibrillators. They also used a device registry to pay kickbacks to physicians.

The company allegedly paid physicians who participated in these studies and registry a fee ranging up to $2,000 to use their pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, soliciting physicians for the studies to retain their business or convert them from using competing products.

The whistleblower in this case will receive a reward of $2.64 million.

Read the entire DOJ press release, “Minnesota-Based St. Jude Medical Pays U.S. $16 Million to Settle Claims that Company Paid Kickbacks to Physicians”