Court reinstates Pfizer whistleblower suit

A Pfizer whistleblower will get his day in court. Dr. Peter Rost (photo) accused the company of illegally marketing Genotropin, a human growth hormone product; he filed suit after he lost his job (he was a VP at Pharmacia when Pfizer bought the company). Info in Rost's suit led to a $34.7 million fine against Pfizer, but a federal district court threw out his complaint.

Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals has overruled the lower court. The suit will be reinstated, and Rost will have a chance to amend it. The upshot? Rost may get a share of that $34.7 million fine, and Pfizer may be vulnerable to additional fines. The drugmaker said in a statement that it's confident it will prevail--and emphasized that it was Pharmacia that promoted Genotropin for youth, beauty, and athletic prowess.

- check out Pfizer's statement at Rost's blog
- read this Pharmalot item

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