Schering-Plough subsidiary Schering Sales Corporation pleaded guilty to violating the Anti-Kickback Act and paid a fine of $52.5 million in connection with the illegal and fraudulent pricing of its allergy drug, Claritin. The government alleged that Schering Sales offered and paid a health maintenance organization (“HMO”) a $1.8 million kickback to induce the HMO to keep Claritin on its formulary, a list of drugs that the HMO covers for its beneficiaries. Schering-Plough agreed to pay more than $290 million to resolve civil False Claims Act liabilities in the matter. (See related Schering-Plough instance, “Fraudulent Pricing of Claritin (Civil)”.)