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Ex-exec: Off-label promo 'part of Pfizer culture'
The ex-Pfizer sales manager sentenced for off-label promotion of the Bextra painkiller told Massachusetts officials that the company not only knew about her off-label activities, but encouraged them. According to a sentencing memo filed in federal district court (and obtained by BNet Pharma), off-label promotion of Bextra was "part of the Pfizer culture."
As you know, Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle off-label Bextra marketing claims. Mary Holloway's sentencing memo claims that she took the initiative to commission research on Bextra-type drugs for post-op pain relief, and Pfizer not only trumpeted the study results, but complimented her efforts to push Bextra for related off-label uses. The memo also details the company's alleged efforts to promote treatment protocols--which included off-label use of Bextra--to doctors. The protocol effort encompassed multiple Pfizer sales regions, the memo states.
Of course it's to Holloway's benefit to paint her own off-label marketing as just one part of an overall company effort. But Pfizer did settle with the feds for a whopping $2.3 billion--and this after the media went ga-ga over Eli Lilly's record-breaking $1.4 billion deal on off-label Zyprexa promotions.
- read the BNet Pharma item
- check out the sentencing memo
Related Articles:
Pfizer takes $2.3B Bextra charge
Prosecutor: Off-label promos 'must stop'
Lilly to pay $1.4B in Zyprexa settlement
Comments
By Anonymous | Posted 4:49pm | September 2, 2009
To H#@# with the fines....start putting people in jail....
By Anonymous | Posted 4:54pm | September 2, 2009
In China you get executed. That is what happened to their person similar to the head of our FDA.
By Anonymous | Posted 12:43pm | September 3, 2009
First: The articles fail to mention if these infractions occured before or after the aquisitions of Pharmacia/Upjohn and Warner Lambert where it appears these products originated from. If after, then I think the executives in charge at the time should give back retirement, stock etc! However, with that said, the current marketing rules on pharmaceuticals are becoming ridiculas.
By Brian Z | Posted 5:11am | September 4, 2009
Isn't "Culture" a wonderful thing? It spreads like a disease. Just look at the UK government and the expenses fiasco, same thing! I worked for Pfizer for over ten years and they were truly a great company but I did sense the start of an infection. Driven by greed, by shareholders to some extent, no longer were the core values of the business about delivering new innovative life saving products but more about revenue and profit. Look for the root cause in these problems and often its outside the company not always inside. Unfortunately those inside are the ones pressing the buttons however. With all the issues in Pharma at the moment surely its time for a total review and overhaul?
By OH | Posted 6:34am | September 18, 2009
Pfizer was openly promoting Norvasc for patients with heart failure before there were ANY data in HF.
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