Did Mallinckrodt pay doctors who prescribed Acthar?
A 2018 study found 88% of frequent Acthar prescribers received payments from Mallinckrodt — 92,356 payments totalling $15.5 million, far exceeding the 30–50% prevalence typical in such studies — raising questions about whether promotion drove prescribing.
A 2018 study reported that 88% of the 235 specialist physicians who frequently prescribed Acthar received payments from Mallinckrodt, and 20% received more than $10,000. Using ProPublica data, the researchers counted 92,356 Acthar-related payments totalling $15.5 million, with the top ten recipients each receiving between $329,000 and $476,000. The lead researcher noted that nearly 90% payment prevalence far exceeds the 30% to 50% typically seen in such studies. Mallinckrodt responded that in 2015 and 2016, 73% to 76% of Acthar prescribers received either no payments or only nominal items such as meals and reprints. Payments to doctors are legal if they are for legitimate services, but such high prevalence led critics to argue that promotion rather than evidence was driving use.