Alexion Pharmaceuticals Agrees to $21.5 Million Settlement With SEC in Bribery Case

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALXN) is reaching into its coffers to settle charges leveled against it by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC alleges that the company violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the federal anti-corruption law that bars U.S. corporations and citizens from bribing government officials abroad. Allegedly, two of Alexion's subsidiaries had paid foreign officials for favorable treatment for its blockbuster drug Soliris.