Pfizer to pay $1.3 billion criminal fine for misbranding its drugs

[Guest guest]

I have asked a few questions about this in the past, and it appears

that kickbacks are universal - wherever the global drug companies

trade, there are kick backs.If we are lucky, this case could be

the precursor of a complete clean up of the drug industry, bringing a

stop to today's less than helpful situation. Anyone with evidence of kickbacks

should report it now for best effect.DavidMonday, October 19, 2009

 

by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

 

http://www.naturalnews.com/027276_Pfizer_drugs_the_FDA.html

 

(NaturalNews) In the largest criminal fine ever levied against any

drug company in the world, a unit of U.S.-based Pfizer, Inc. was

sentenced to pay $1.3 billion in criminal fines and revenue

forfeiture. It's all part of a $2.3 billion settlement announced by

the Justice Department. The case centers around Pfizer's criminal "off-

label marketing" of four drugs, including the painkiller Bextra. After

whistleblowers filed lawsuits in three states, the U.S. Justice

Department took an interest in the case and prosecuted Pfizer for

criminal acts.

 

In the settlement, Pfizer admitted to a felony crime and agreed to pay

$2.3 billion in fines and other fees. The investigation of Pfizer

reportedly turned up evidence that Pfizer engaged in kickback payments

to doctors for nine drugs, including Viagra and Lipitor.

 

Part of the reason the penalty against Pfizer was so large is because

the company was considered a "repeat offender" in promoting drugs for

unapproved uses (which is a violation of federal law).

 

Off-label marketing makes a mockery of modern medicineSo-called "off-

label" marketing of drugs is rampant in the pharmaceutical industry.

Although the FDA, drug companies and many conventional doctors claim

the drug industry is guided by a "gold standard" of scientific

scrutiny, the truth is that pharmaceuticals are routinely marketed and

prescribed for health conditions for which they have never even been

studied... much less actually approved by the FDA. The fact that this

continues today makes a mockery of any "scientific credibility" the

pharmaceutical industry claims to possess.

 

Drug companies take advantage of this gaping hole in regulatory

oversight by getting their drugs approved by the FDA for one health

condition, then heavily promoting it for numerous unrelated

conditions. A drug approved for high blood pressure, for example,

could be openly marketed for diabetes or Alzheimer's disease even

though there is no evidence whatsoever showing the drug to be either

safe or effective for such conditions.

 

The same is true with the intended demographics of pharmaceuticals:

Drug companies often get their drugs approved for adults, then they

market those drugs to children even though the drugs have never been

tested with children.

 

The result is a pharmaceutical industry that appears to be highly

regulated, but isn't. Virtually any drug can be pushed for any disease

for almost any reason -- all with virtually no oversight by the FDA.

In fact, in this Pfizer case, even with the Justice Department filing

criminal charges against Pfizer, the FDA has stood by and done

absolutely nothing to prevent such actions from being repeated in the

future by Pfizer or another drug company.