Malek Karassi, MD
Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism · Birmingham, ALNPI 1447273586
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 98.5% of the total across 753 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 36 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 12.2% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations.
Across 753 payments — averaging $17.94 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novo Nordisk$2K
- Lilly USA, LLC$1K
- Abbott$1K
- Boehringer Ingelheim$1K
- Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC$1K
- AstraZeneca$1K
- plus $5K from 30 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$13,30698%
- Education$1431%
- Gifts$590%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk | 114 | $1,650 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 82 | $1,470 |
| Abbott | 97 | $1,386 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 77 | $1,265 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 64 | $1,237 |
| AstraZeneca | 63 | $1,157 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 19 | $744 |
| Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 40 | $631 |
| Corcept Therapeutics | 23 | $535 |
| Merck | 28 | $477 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 21 | $442 |
| Mannkind Corporation | 18 | $340 |
| IBSA Pharma Inc. | 15 | $282 |
| AbbVie | 18 | $271 |
| Bayer | 13 | $253 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 10 | $251 |
| Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | 8 | $175 |
| Averitas Pharma Inc. | 3 | $162 |
| BETA Bionics, Inc. | 5 | $122 |
| Antares Pharma, Inc. | 6 | $121 |
| Insulet Corporation | 5 | $114 |
| Shire North American Group Inc | 4 | $59 |
| Ascensia Diabetes Care US Inc. | 3 | $54 |
| Lifescan, Inc. | 3 | $53 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 2 | $41 |
| Tolmar, Inc. | 2 | $31 |
| GSK | 1 | $27 |
| Nevro Corp. | 1 | $26 |
| Halozyme Inc | 1 | $22 |
| Radius Health, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| BD | 1 | $19 |
| Embecta Corp. | 1 | $16 |
| Sequel Med Tech, LLC | 1 | $15 |
| Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
- MINIMED 780G$256
- Minimed 670G System$128
- ZEPBOUND$122
- Qutenza$122
- Repatha$121
How this compares
$13,508 in reported general payments places this provider in the 70th percentile of 79 endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism providers in Alabama.
See all endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism providers in Alabama →
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| OzempicSemaglutide | 762 | $1,223,674 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 555 | $797,046 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 332 | $355,818 |
| TrulicityDulaglutide | 122 | $164,398 |
| Toujeo Max SolostarInsulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 185 | $135,162 |
| Janumet XrSitagliptin Phos/Metformin Hcl | 165 | $132,351 |
| Synjardy XrEmpagliflozin/Metformin Hcl | 97 | $107,061 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 87 | $95,031 |
| Soliqua 100-33Insulin Glargine/Lixisenatide | 109 | $93,766 |
| Humalog Kwikpen U-100Insulin Lispro | 419 | $87,371 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-100Insulin Degludec | 146 | $76,792 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-200Insulin Degludec | 88 | $66,591 |
| Omnipod 5 Dexg7g6 Pods (Gen 5)Insulin Pump Cart,auto,bt,g6/7 | 49 | $62,472 |
| Fiasp FlextouchInsulin Aspart (Niacinamide) | 72 | $54,093 |
| RybelsusSemaglutide | 34 | $52,051 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Companies that both paid and supply prescribed drugs
These companies both reported payments to this provider and make drugs the provider prescribed under Medicare Part D in 2024. For most specialties this overlap is expected — a cardiologist who is paid by a cardiology drugmaker also treats heart disease. It is shown so the reader can see it, not because it implies anything on its own.
| Company | Paid to this provider | Part D cost of their drugs |
|---|---|---|
| Novo NordiskOzempic, Rybelsus, Novolog | $1,650 | $1,299,613861 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro, Trulicity, Humalog, Lyumjev, Baqsimi | $1,470 | $1,032,229917 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance, Synjardy Xr, Synjardy, Trijardy Xr | $1,265 | $498,722473 claims |
| MerckJanumet Xr, Janumet, Januvia | $477 | $165,232196 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $1,157 | $95,03187 claims |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLCSoliqua 100-33 | $1,237 | $93,766109 claims |
| Antares Pharma, Inc.Xyosted | $121 | $25,09727 claims |
| AbbVieSynthroid | $271 | $13,158160 claims |
Reading this fairly. The Part D column is what drug plans and patients paid pharmacies — this provider received none of it, and it reflects how many patients they treat and what those drugs cost. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 70th percentile of 79 endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism providers in Alabama.
Other endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism in Birmingham
- Ralph TeagueBirmingham$487K
- William GarveyBirmingham$421K
- Edison GoncalvesBirmingham$142K
- Fernando BrilBirmingham$74K
- Rodrigo ValderramaBirmingham$61K
- Janelle TownesBirmingham$56K
- Richard RosenthalBirmingham$24K
- Fernando OvalleBirmingham$15K
- Jennifer SohnBirmingham$14K
- Jorge PinoBirmingham$14K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.