Technology Blog

Allergan Inc., maker of the popular Botox anti-wrinkle treatment, said on Wednesday that it had agreed to pay $600 million to settle an investigation into whether the company had illegally marketed the drug for off-label uses.In a statement, Irvine, Calif.-based Allergan said it agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of ?misbranding? its drug for unapproved medical uses between 2000 and 2005, for which it would pay the government $375 million. The settlement follows a lengthy civil and criminal probe by the U.S. Justice Department, who alleged that Allergan had attempted to maximize sales of Botox through uses not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."Allergan illegally promoted Botox for uses that were not approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration, including pain, headache, spasticity, and juvenile cerebral palsy," said Assistant Attorney General Tony West.Some of these uses have since been approved or are being considered for approval by the FDA.We