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Physician Assistant Sentenced to 4 Years for Fentanyl Prescription Kickbacks

Brian Wallstin for NHPR

 

A former physician assistant has been sentenced to four years in prison for receiving more than $49,000 from a drug manufacturer in exchange for writing more than 700 fentanyl spray prescriptions.

Christopher Clough, of Dover, New Hampshire, was convicted in December on charges of conspiracy and the receipt of kickbacks.

The 45-year-old Clough wrote the prescriptions from mid-2013 through fall 2014 for the spray, including more than 225 prescriptions for Medicare patients. The program paid over $2.1 million for those.

Prosecutors said a drug manufacturer paid Clough to speak about the spray at more than 40 programs at about $1,000 per event.

In many instances, Clough was paid to have dinner with company representatives, and signatures were forged on evaluation forms to make it appear that medical professionals attended them.

 

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