Serono Pays Huge Serostim Fine

Serono Laboratories, the maker of the AIDS-related wasting treatment Serostim, in October agreed to pay a fine of $704 million for offering physicians trips to the south of France in return for writing up to 30 new prescriptions for Serostim, which costs about $21,000 for a 12-week regimen and was often paid for through government-run medical programs. 'Serono put its desire to sell more Serostim above the interest of patients and the public,' U.S. attorney general Alberto Gonzales stated when announcing the fine.