Drug Companies Still Make Bundle Even When They Admit They Lie

[Guest guest]

http://www.mercola.com/2004/sep/4/drug_companies.htm

 

Drug Companies Still Make Bundle Even When They Admit

They Lie

 

Even when the mega-billion drug companies admit to

federal wrongdoings, they often get away a light slap

on the wrist and, if they're lucky, can still make an

obscene amount of money on the open market besides.

 

A great example is Warner-Lambert, a one-time

independent now owned by Pfizer that recently pled

guilty to illegally marketing Neurontin for treating

ailments it wasn't approved to cover before August

1996. Warner-Lambert paid a sizeable fine ($430

million) and its parent agreed to stricter rules to

compliance laws tighter than existing marketing rules.

In addition, it also agreed to fund a multi-million

program to educate doctors about Neurontin.

 

Think the publicity made Neurontin a pariah? Guess

again. For one, the Warner-Lambert executives who

executed the marketing plan were never prosecuted for

their shenanigans. Lastly, and most importantly,

Neurontin sales in 2004 are projected to exceed last

year's totals: $2.7 billion. Federal law prohibits

drug firms from marketing their products for

treatments that aren't FDA-approved. Neurontin's

expressed use was as an anti-seizure drug for

epileptics early on and later for shingle-related

nerve pain.

 

From 1994-2000, the Justice Department claims

Warner-Lambert marketed Neurontin illegally in a

number of ways:

 

*

 

Lied to doctors about the drug's effectiveness

*

 

Paid doctors to allow a sales representative to

sit in on sessions with patients

*

 

Paid doctors, some up to $250,000, to

unethically talk up Neurontin to other physicians

 

The list of diseases the company claimed Neurontin

could cure was so ridiculously long, some employees

called it the " snake oil " list. Nevertheless,

Warner-Lambert's plan worked to perfection. The

government estimates off-label uses for Neurontin

increased from 40 to 94 percent from 1995-2002. Today,

the estimated percentage of off-label use stands at 90

percent. Some 12 million people have taken Neurontin

over the past decade and 60 countries have approved it

to treat pain.

 

Still, government prosecutors believed the actions of

Warner-Lambert forced Medicare to pay for an excessive

number of prescriptions the agency didn't need to

fill. So much so that one official believes directly

increased

medical costs to consumer, states and insurers.

 

One U.S. attorney who prosecuted the Neurontin case

hopes drug industry practices will change due to the

ruling, but doubts it will have any effect on the

drug's popularity. Why?

 

*

 

Although physicians are required to notify

insurance companies and Medicaid for approval when

they prescribe specific medications, it's seldom done

with Neurontin

*

 

Congress voted to allow Medicaid to pay for

FDA-approved drugs or those supported by one of three

medical directories whose rulings are based on small

studies that could be skewed

*

 

Doctors want to help their patients by allowing

them to try drugs that might work, even those not

approved by FDA

 

USA Today August 17, 2004

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

If you don't understand why I'm so committed to

tearing down the established conventional medical

paradigm and exposing the blatant disregard the

mega-billion drug companies have for you, this story

ought to convince you.

 

If there's a silver lining to be found in this tale of

greed, think about this: A recent Harris poll found 13

percent of the people it polled believed the major

pharmaceutical companies were honest and trustworthy,

ranking them at the same low level as tobacco, oil and

managed care companies. In fact, pollsters speculate

the public's trust in drug companies has dropped

faster than any other industry.

 

That's happened thanks to a news media that covers the

" dirty tricks " pharmaceutical companies play on

consumers with greater regularity as well as the

public being a bit more skeptical about the research

-- that may be more tainted than anyone thought --

featured in respected medical journals.

 

Related Articles:

 

Ex-New England Journal of Medicine Editor Criticizes

Drug Companies

 

How Could Drug Companies be so Evil?

 

Your Car Costs MUCH More Because of Drug Companies'

Greed

 

3 Drug Companies Face Fraud & Bribery Charges

 

How the Drug Companies Deceive You -- The Inside Story

of Nexium