Sometimes pharma companies bend the rules. And increasingly, they're getting caught. After Novartis' recent $422.5 million settlement with the U.S. Attorney's office and reader requests, we looked back at other Department of Justice and government fines levied against Big Pharma for improper marketing and other infractions. Those fines range from a relatively light slap on the wrists to multi-billion dollar charges in addition to criminal penalties.
Eleven companies have paid a total of over $6 billion to the government in 22 months. The biggest offender? Eli Lilly, with three appearances and over $1.4 billion in fines, all for Zyprexa. But those three settlements pale in comparison to Pfizer's massive $2.3 billion charge for mis-marketing a host of drugs, including Bextra, Geodon, Lyrica and Zyvox. Article